The Price
by Icy Knuckles
Summary: Knuckles must enlist the help of a certain female bat when his daughter is kidnapped, and the only way to get her back is to pay the ransom. How will Knuckles be able to get his daughter back? Read to find out. Knuckles/Rouge romance, of course.
1. Kidnapped

_This is my first Knuckles and Rouge fic. I know what you're probably wondering. Why did it take Icy Knuckles so long to write a Knux/Rouge fanfic? Well, the answer is quite simple: I wasn't ready yet. I needed my skills to develop before I began writing about my favorite couple, and I needed to find out if people would like my writing. Now, I can write an awesome fic that will knock your socks off. Well, let's get started._

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Get up! Get up!" said an ecstatic, young echidna girl one morning as she was bouncing on her father's bed. She kept jumping up and down until he finally woke up.

"Okay, I'm up," said the male echidna. He let out a huge yawn and sat up on the edge of his bed. The morning sun shined into his room through the curtains. Wearing only a muscle shirt and some pajama bottoms, he stretched and allowed one more yawn to leave his mouth before he stood up and walked into the kitchen to fix breakfast.

"Lara-Su, make sure you clean up your room and brush your teeth before you come down to breakfast," said Knuckles.

"Okay, Daddy."

Knuckles opened the refrigerator and removed several eggs, butter, bacon, and bread from the refrigerator and set the ingredients on the counter. Then, he found a couple of skillets in the cabinet and set them on the stove. Knuckles was about to make some omelets, bacon, and French toast. He turned on the radio in the kitchen as he started to cook. In the mornings, he loved to hear the weather reports and the early morning news. Living on Angel Island may have secluded him from the outside world, but he still loved being up-to-date on the world around him.

The French toast was done in a matter of minutes. He placed all the pieces of toast onto a plate and set the plate on the table. Not long after that, the omelets and bacon were done as well. After the food was done, Knuckles pulled out a pitcher of orange juice to go with their breakfast. The moment the orange juice was on the table, Lara-Su came down the stairs in her school clothes.

"My room is clean, Dad," said the six-year old.

Knuckles gave her a heart-warming smile. There was no one he loved as much as his only daughter. Seeing as how she was his only companion on his island, it wasn't hard to understand why.

"Okay, baby girl. You can get started on breakfast while I get properly dressed," said Knuckles.

Today was nothing short of routine. First, Lara-Su would wake up her father. Then, he would come downstairs, fix breakfast, get dressed and properly hygienic, and lastly would join her back at the table before taking her to school.

Knuckles appears properly dressed in the dining room and sits down with his daughter, whose almost done with her breakfast.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I want a new toy. All the other girls at school have a 'My Little Pony', and I want one," said Lara-Su.

Knuckles chuckles. "Well, I'll see what I can do, sweetie. I was going to go to the store today, anyway; so maybe I'll ask Cream or somebody about those ponies," said Knuckles.

"Dad, Cream's twelve now. I don't think she plays with ponies anymore," said Lara-Su.

"Well, she's the youngest person I know. "I'm sure she'll know what you're talking about," said Knuckles.

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Knuckles cleared the table and washed their plates. While he did that, Lara-Su grabbed her Dora the Explorer backpack and watched Barney.

"After school, we meet to play and sing with happy faces," Lara-Su sang along.

Halfway through the theme song, Knuckles appeared in the living room and asked his daughter, "Are you ready?"

Lara-Su pressed the off button on the remote and jumped off the couch.

"Ready!" she said with glee.

Knuckles and his daughter exited the tiny, yet humble abode that was built conveniently next to the altar shrine of the Master Emerald. He walked her to school everyday because he didn't have a car, not that having one would do him any good anyway since there was no road that led to Angel Island, and he felt that she wasn't quite old enough yet to go to school on her own. After crossing the bridge and exiting the cave, they were conveniently located next to the train in the Mystic Ruins. Knuckles took his daughter by the hand and led her to the train station, where they presented their passes and boarded the second car.

It was a thirty minute ride from the Mystic Ruins to Station Square and about another fifteen minutes of walking to get to Station Square Elementary. After reaching Station Square, Knuckles took Lara-Su by the hand and led her off the train. The morning traffic was always hectic because people were always headed to work at the hour. Knuckles always took Lara-Su through a suburban neighborhood to cut down on the time it takes them to reach her school.

The early morning weather was warm. There was a small breeze in the air. A couple of residents were outside watering their lawns and walking their dogs. Knuckles loved taking his daughter this way because the scenery out this way was beautiful. It was very high class.

Suddenly, a black Chrysler with golden rims and tinted windows eased around the corner. It was slowly creeping up behind Knuckles and his daughter. Knuckles looked out the corner of his eye and saw the car pull up next to him. The passenger side window came down and a brown fruit bat leaned out the window. When Knuckles saw the face, he stood in front of Lara-Su.

"Dad, why did we stop?" she asked.

"Just keep quiet, Lara-Su," he told her.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," said the fruit bat in a deep voice. He stepped out of the car and walked up to Knuckles. Knuckles held his ground.

"What do you want, Magic?" asked Knuckles.

"First things first. Who is this lovely young girl?" asked Magic, seeing Lara-Su standing close behind Knuckles. "What's your name, Shorty?" Magic asked Lara-Su.

Lara-Su didn't respond.

"Why won't you tell me who you are?" asked Magic.

"Daddy says that I should never talk to strangers," said Lara-Su.

"Daddy? You mean that this is your little girl? I'm impressed. She has a very good likeness of you," said Magic.

"Cut the crap, Magic. What do you want?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm here to talk business with you about an incident six years ago," said Magic.

Knuckles knew exactly what he was referring to. He turned to his daughter and kneeled.

"Lara, do you remember the way to school from here?" he asked her.

"Yes, Dad, but…"

"Go ahead without me," said Knuckles.

"Daddy, I.."

"Go!" yelled Knuckles.

Lara-Su began walking. She would occasionally look back at Knuckles to check on him.

"My answer remains the same, Magic," said Knuckles.

"After I helped to rid you of Fang the Sniper, you still turn your back on me," said Magic.

Two more guys get out of the back seat of the car. One is a black hedgehog with blue streaks in his quills and glass earrings and the other is a red and black echidna with a bandana on his head.

"I told you before that I had a family to think about and I couldn't risk going to jail," said Knuckles.

"Family? What was I? I had your back while we were growing up. You never had any problems whatsoever. I was always there, but it seems that you are just a trifling ass echidna with no respect or loyalty," said Magic.

"My loyalty lies with my little girl. If I would have gotten caught robbing that store, what do you think would have happened to my girl?" asked Knuckles.

"The family would have taken care of her," said Magic.

"The family would have made her a coke horse and have her tricking out here on these streets by age fifteen. I wasn't going to let that happen to my girl not as long as I breathe air," said Knuckles.

"Little girl or not, you still owe me for ridding you of Fang the Sniper. If you won't work with me, you'll work for me then, homie," said Magic.

Magic got back into the Chrysler. Lara-Su was almost at school. Knuckles watched as the Chrysler sped down the street. He saw the car get close to the sidewalk and Lara-Su ahead of them.

"No!" said Knuckles.

Knuckles tried to walk ahead but caught the fist of the black hedgehog right in his nose. Knuckles hit the black hedgehog back with enough force to bring him to his knees. The black hedgehog groaned in pain. Knuckles was about to hit him again, but the red and black echidna delivered a blow to Knuckles' jaw. Then, he uppercutted Knuckles, which knocked Knuckles down. The black hedgehog got up and began stomping Knuckles with the other echidna. Before they stomped him too much, he grabbed both of them by a foot and tripped them up. They both fell. Knuckles got up and began to run after the Chrysler.

In the Chrysler, Magic leaned out of the window. Lara-Su turned around to see the bat headed straight for her. She began to run, but not to much avail. Magic soon caught up to her and grabbed her. She squirmed and wriggled, but her strength was no match for Magic's firm grip. She screamed very loudly. Then, the Chrysler did a U-turn back around towards Knuckles.

"Give me back my daughter!" yelled Knuckles in his powerful voice.

Knuckles was too distracted to see the two anthromorphs come up behind him. The red and black echidna, King, struck him in the back of the head. Then, the black hedgehog with the blue streaks, Stream, came around and delivered a blow to his stomach. Stream held his hand. Punching Knuckles was like punching a brick wall. It hurt like hell. Knuckles grabbed Stream by his throat and tossed him into King. Then, he started beating down both King and Stream.

Magic held Lara-Su out the window. She gave out a loud scream. Knuckles turned and ran for the Chrysler. It actually stopped right in front of him. Not thinking, Knuckles ran directly for the car. As soon as he was in range, the driver door swung open and collided with his chest, which literally knocked the wind out of him. A giant, blue armadillo emerged from the driver side of the car. He was called Big Blue. Big Blue grabbed Knuckles while he was still trying to catch his breath and held his arms. There were not many people who could hold Knuckles the Echidna down, but since Knuckles was already gasping for air, Big Blue did it with ease. Stream and King rose to their feet, went over, and started wailing on Knuckles with their fists. Knuckles slowly began to become dizzy. His face was bruising and bleeding more after every punch.

"Daddy!" yelled Lara-Su.

"Shut up you little bitch!" commanded Magic. He was still in the Chrysler holding Lara-Su.

Knuckles used the last of his strength to break free of Big Blue's hold and punch him in the face. Big Blue laughed. Knuckles was so beaten down now that he didn't even have the strength to deliver a wholesome punch. Big Blue pounded him on his head like Donkey Kong. Knuckles blacked out.

Big Blue grabbed Knuckles and threw him on the sidewalk. Knuckles was bleeding badly and his clothes were torn to pieces.

"See, he ain't so tough," said Stream.

All of the thugs then got back into the Chrysler and drove off. Knuckles laid there motionless. In his subconscious mind, Knuckles could still hear Lara-Su screaming for him, but he knew he had failed. He had failed as a father.

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_So what do you think? Not bad for a first chapter, eh? Please read and review. My first Knuckles and Rouge fic._

_By the way:_

_Knuckles will be voiced by Scott Dreier in my story. Nothing personal. I love Dan Green, but he voices the new Knuckles. By the new Knuckles, I mean the Knuckles that is serious but gives a good laugh now and then. This Knuckles is the one from the Sonic Adventures. He's all serious and an all around badass. _

_Magic will be voiced by Busta Rhymes. I know that is random, but I'm trying to create a plot here._

_Please Read and Review._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	2. Ransom

_I meant to finish and submit this last night, but I fell asleep on the job. My bed was just calling my name. Well, here's chapter 2._

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Knuckles opened his eyes. It was dark at first. Then, it got brighter and brighter. Although his vision was still blurry, he could make out some of his surroundings. He knew that he was no longer on the sidewalk. He was in a room. It was a very plain room that looked a lot like a guest bedroom. There was a lamp, a bed, two dressers, and some blue wall paint. The setting sun shined dimly through the curtains. Knuckles sat up. Pains immediately went to his head as an extreme headache came into play. Knuckles let out a painstaking groan as the pain set in. Not being able to bear the pain for another second, he laid back on the bed once more. As he did, the door opened. Although his vision was still a little blurry, he could make out the figure that entered the room. It was a white hedgehog with quills that went fan-like across his head. He was wearing a black wife-beater and some baggy blue jeans.

"Look who's awake," said the white hedgehog.

"Silver? Where am I?" asked Knuckles. Even his voice was weak.

"You're at my house. Well, this is my house in your time. My house in the future is much nicer," said Silver.

"You'll have to remind me to come and visit someday," said Knuckles. He tried sitting up again and managed to. Silver helped him to prop himself against the headboard.

"What happened to you out there? I was passing by when I saw your body lying bloody and motionless. Then, I used my psychokinesis to drag you back here and cleaned you up with gauze and an icepack. Most of the swelling has subsided but you still have a few bruises on your head," said Silver.

Knuckles looked at himself in the mirror on the dresser across from him. His jaw and chest contained bruises, but the rest of him seemed to be okay.

"Some guy I used to know jumped me with some of his thugs. Then, they took your goddaughter," said Knuckles.

"They took Lara-Su?"

Knuckles nodded. Silver punched the dresser with his bare fist.

"They ought to be grateful that I wasn't there. I would've ripped them a few new assholes," said Silver. He started to glow upon saying that.

"They only did it to get at me. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her," said Knuckles lowering his head.

"You can't blame yourself," said Silver.

"Well, I do, and I'm not going to rest until she's back with me where she belongs," said Knuckles.

"Do you have any idea where they might've taken her?" asked Silver.

As if right on cue, Knuckles' cell phone began to ring. Knuckles pulled out his Blackberry and viewed the number. The number came up as private, but Knuckles answered anyway. Besides, he had a feeling that he knew who it was.

"Hello."

"What's happening, homie? I'm glad that you finally woke up," replied the voice on the other end.

"MAGIC, I WANT MY DAUGHTER," yelled Knuckles into the phone.

"Whoa, Knuckles. You're not in any position to be giving orders here; so save your breath," said Magic.

"How'd you get my number?" asked Knuckles in a calmer, but still angry voice.

"I got it out of your phone before we left. Now, listen up. Like I said before, you owe me; so either you pay up or your little girl pays up. Got it?" asked Magic.

"What are you asking for?" asked Knuckles.

"Well, once I add up all of your expenses owed to me, it comes to a 1,000,000.00 debt for you," said Magic.

"What!" said Knuckles. "You rotten lowdown punk, if I ever find out where-"

"Daddy! Help me!"

"Lara-Su!" said Knuckles.

Silver began to glow again. Out of anger, he punched a hole in the wall with his psychokinetic knuckles.

"You know me; so you know what I am capable of doing. You have a week to bring us our money and rescue your daughter. If I do not have my money by then or call the police, I'll call you and tell you where to pick up the body of Daddy's Little Girl," said Magic.

"I don't have a million dollars," said Knuckles. "How do you suggest I get it?"

"Honestly, I don't really care what you do to get it. All I want is to have it in my hand in a week starting from the minute I hang up the phone. Bring my money to the warehouse by the Central City pier or forfeit your daughter's life. I'll be waiting."

(Click)

Knuckles laid the phone on the bed. He just stared blankly at himself in the mirror. Then, an awkward silence came into the room. It lasted until Silver finally spoke up.

"Well?" he asked.

"He wants a million dollars for her return," said Knuckles.

"Do you have a million dollars?" asked Silver.

"No."

"Well, what are you going to do?" asked Silver.

"I don't know. Money's never been something I held close. I only spent and collected what I needed to get by. Most of the money was paid to me from the President for helping Sonic and the others save the world over and over," said Knuckles. "I have a few thousands left but no other dividends."

"All I have is a few thousands myself. They're not much, but you're welcome to them," said Silver.

"Thanks buddy, but I have to get the money on my own," said Knuckles.

"How are you going to do that?" asked Silver.

"Magic's only given me one option. In order to get the funds necessary to free my daughter, I'm going to have to take the money I need," said Knuckles.

"You mean robbing right?" asked Silver.

Knuckles nodded.

"Are you crazy? There's no way that you're going to be able to steal a million dollars in a week with all the heat that'll be on you just after the first robbery," said Silver.

"I have to try. Lara-Su is depending on me," said Knuckles.

Knuckles stood on his feet for the first time since he had regained consciousness and walked out the door. He walked down the stairs and was about to head out until Silver called out to him.

"Wait."

Knuckles stopped and turned around.

"I know that you're only doing this for Lara-Su. I strongly advise against this, but I understand. Hell, I'd probably do the same thing in your place. I wish I could help you, but I'm not in favor of getting on the wrong side of the law," said Silver.

Knuckles looked at his friend and smiled.

"I wouldn't ask you to help me anyway. You're too much of a good guy to commit a crime," said Knuckles.

"You're probably right, but you have to admit that you can't do this by yourself," said Silver.

Knuckles sighed. "You're right. I do need help, but who could I ask to help me."

"Sonic?"

"Yeah, right. The world's most loved hero is going to help me steal money for a thug. I would feel silly asking his sarcastic, blue ass for help," said Knuckles.

"Tails?"

"He's even worse. I mean, he's a good kid and all, but I don't think he could handle the pressure," said Knuckles.

"Amy?"

"Hell no!"

"Cream?"

"She's twelve."

"What about Shadow?"

"Shadow probably would have helped me back in the day before he joined GUN. He's the law now; so he's out," concluded Knuckles.

"Well, there's only one more person I can think of," said Silver.

"No! Absolutely not!" yelled Knuckles.

"Knuckles, you have to face reality. She's your best shot at obtaining the money. Even though she works for GUN, she still breaks the law on occasion for her own personal gain. Plus, she's a master thief. You told me so yourself. Who better to help you to bypass alarms and things of that nature?" asked Silver.

Knuckles just stood there in thought. He really didn't want to ask her for help, but it really didn't seem like he had many options at this point. Silver was right. He couldn't do this alone. For the first time in his life, Knuckles the Echidna needed help.

"Feel like taking a trip to Club Rouge tonight?" Knuckles asked Silver.

"You bet. I'm always down for going to the club," said Silver.

"You're just down for trying to find a drunken girl who'll sleep with you," said Knuckles.

"Shut up. Let me grab my shirt and chain and I'll be ready to go. I'll get you one, too since yours is destroyed," said Silver.

Silver went upstairs and returned about seven minutes later with a Jay-Z shirt and a gold chain around his neck. He tossed Knuckles a black t-shirt. It was kind of tight of him since he was bigger than Silver.

"What took you so long?" asked Knuckles.

"I had to iron my shirt," said Silver. "Let's go."

Knuckles shook his head and followed him out the door.

* * *

_I hope you like where I'm taking this and the new angle I'm putting on this. Will Rouge agree to help? Can Knuckles save his daughter? Tune in at my next update to find out._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	3. Off to Club Rouge

_By now, most of you know what this story is going to be about. Still, I can add a few unexpected surprises for you. Thanks for all the reviews this far. Now, let's continue this fic._

* * *

Club Rouge was busy as it usually was. As Knuckles and Silver arrived, they noticed a long line in front of the building. They knew that it would be very difficult to find Rouge in the crowd even though her face was everywhere. She had a neon design of herself on the roof of the building. Throughout other various places in the club, her name was written in cursive neon lights. This only proved what Knuckles had known for years: Rouge was full of herself.

Silver drove around the parking lot for about five minutes trying to find a spot. Adequate parking was always a problem here. He finally found himself a spot toward the back. As he and Knuckles got out of the car, they could hear loud dance music coming through the walls. The night crowd was always college students or high schoolers with fake I.D.s. Rouge had an age requirement of twenty-one, but she really didn't care who came in as long as they spent their money. Her philosophy was that if parents can't control their kids, they can't expect her to. Silver's tight shirt stuck to Knuckles' body. It made him look real sexy because his abs and biceps were poking through the tight shirt. On the other hand, some people gave him a queer look.

"Alright, Silver, here's the plan. We kindly ask to speak to Rouge. We don't want to cause a scene here, or she might be more reluctant to help than I already know she's going to be," said Knuckles.

"Sounds like a plan, but we might as well have some fun while we're here," said Silver.

"Business before pleasure, Silver," said Knuckles.

They patiently waited in line behind two other females. One was a gray hedgehog wearing a miniskirt and a shirt with Tweety on it and the other was a light-orange fox with teal mascara, a jean miniskirt, and a very tight top that exposed her perfect cleavage. The two females kept glaring back at Knuckles and Silver. Silver tried being suave and giving them a cool guy smile, but the two girls just laughed at him and turned back around.

"I told you that you weren't slick, Silver," said Knuckles.

Silver and Knuckles waited patiently until they were at the door, where they found themselves face to face with a huge red hedgehog bouncer.

"Ten dollars a piece," said the red hedgehog.

The two kindly paid their covers.

"Where can I find Rouge?" asked Knuckles.

"She's probably in her office," said the red hedgehog.

Knuckles and Silver were about to head into the club, but the red hedgehog held his hand in front of the door.

"No one gets to see Miss Rouge unless she tells us that she's expecting them. She didn't recall any names to me tonight; so no one goes back there," said the red hedgehog.

"I have business to discuss with her," said Knuckles.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. Don't let me catch you two trying to get back there or else we're going to get real damn acquainted," said the red hedgehog.

He moved his arm out of the way. He didn't even seem worried about them going back there. Knuckles guessed that people usually heed his warnings or wish that they had.

Knuckles and Silver walked into the club. At the time, the music from Club Rouge on Sonic Battle was playing on some loudspeakers, and some people were dancing to it.

"Here's the plan: We split up and look for her office separately," said Knuckles.

"That suits me just fine." Silver looked around and spotted the bar in the back of the club. "I'll start looking over here." In a few seconds, Silver had disappeared amongst the crowd of dancers.

Knuckles started looking around for himself. It was actually hard to see anything with all the flashing lights. As he looked around, he looked at the display. All of the tables were shaped in a heart that matched Rouge's chest plate. Every chair in the place resembled bat wings and had Club Rouge written on the back of them.

Knuckles noticed a balcony with more tables and chairs on it. Then, he saw a hallway of some sort. He ran up the stairs and headed for the hallway. The hallway led him to a lounge of some sort. It was the kind of place that couples could come if they wanted to escape the noise or be romantic. There were even booths for them to go into. At the back of the lounge, Knuckles saw a door.

"That's got to be where Rouge is," Knuckles thought aloud.

Before he took another step, someone grabbed him from behind. It was the red hedgehog bouncer.

"I thought I told you that you weren't getting back here to see Miss Rouge. I guess some people are just hard of hearing," he said.

"I know. It seems that you didn't hear me when I said that I have some important business with Rouge," said Knuckles.

"That's it! You're getting the hell out of here," said the red hedgehog.

"I'd like to see you stop me," said Knuckles.

The red hedgehog dragged Knuckles back to the main part of the club. Knuckles was able to break free of his hold. The red hedgehog grabbed Knuckles' arm, but Knuckles shook himself free and punched the red hedgehog in the nose. He flew back a few feet.

"You'll pay for that," said the red hedgehog.

The red hedgehog tackled Knuckles through one of Rouge's tables. Knuckles quickly threw him off of him and got back up. Knuckles picked up a chair and smashed it on the red hedgehog's head. By now, the attention of many of the club's patrons had been aroused. People started gathering up the stairs to see Knuckles and the bouncer tussle.

The red hedgehog put Knuckles in a headlock. Knuckles retaliated by elbowing him in the ribs and tackling him to the ground. Knuckles tackled him right through another one of Club Rouge's chairs. Knuckles began to go to work on his head, but the red hedgehog was strong, too. He pushed Knuckles back about four feet. Knuckles stumbled but held his ground.

At that moment, she appeared. She walked right between Knuckles and the red hedgehog and stood her ground. Neither of them moved. The people who had gathered to watch the fight went back to what they were doing before they were disturbed. She stood there in all her magnificence in her black and pink business skirt looking as if she was a mother about to punish her children. She looked straight at the red hedgehog.

"Sugar Ray, I pay you to enforce the rules of my club, but I didn't expect you to destroy my club in the process," said Rouge.

"I'm sorry, Miss Rouge, but this punk here refuses to leave the club after I told him to do so," said Sugar Ray. He pointed over at Knuckles, who had his arms crossed and was propped against a wall. His muscles poked through Silver's tight shirt.

A hint of curiosity could be seen in her cheeks. Her flirty smile also crept upon her face.

"Well, handsome, what brings you to my club?" she asked.

"I have some business to talk over with you," said Knuckles.

Rouge's smile began to widen and she giggled seductively. She walked over to him and pressed up against him.

"Does it involve my club or my heart?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"Knock it off, Rouge. I'm serious," said Knuckles. He was unaffected by her charm for the first time ever.

"Well, step into my office and tell me what's on your mind," she said. "Sugar Ray, get the maintenance staff to clean up this mess you made."

"Yes, Miss Rouge," replied Sugar Ray.

Rouge led Knuckles back into her office. Knuckles got a good view of a few couples making out, even though he really weren't interested in them. Rouge opened the door to her office and gestured for Knuckles to take a seat. The office was just what you would expect to see in a typical business office: a safe, desk, two chairs, computer, and a shelf. Despite its setup, you could still tell this was Rouge's office. Everything was either a feminine color or shaped like a heart. Rouge had her logo on all her things. She took a seat on her desk and crossed her legs.

"So what can I do for you, Knuckie?" asked Rouge.

"There's an emergency, and I need your help," said Knuckles bluntly.

Rouge couldn't help but giggle. "You need my help? My, that's a first!"

"This isn't a joke. I have the only thing that means anything to me at stake in this," said Knuckles with a little impatience.

"Easy, Knuckles. Just tell me exactly what you mean, and I'll tell you whether or not I'll help you," she said.

"My daughter has been kidnapped by some goons. They're holding her until I can pay her ransom of a million dollars. If I don't pay them in one week, they'll kill her," explained Knuckles.

"How long have you had a daughter?" asked Rouge.

"She's six now," said Knuckles. "I'm begging you to help me to get my baby girl back."

Rouge raised an eyebrow. Did Knuckles the Echidna just say that he was begging her? It must be serious for him to swallow his foolish pride.

"Okay, what do you need my help for? I don't do loans, Knuckles. Even if I did, I don't have a million dollars you can borrow," said Rouge.

"I didn't come here for a loan. I came her for some help," said Knuckles.

"Well, if you do not want to borrow the money, what do you need me for?" asked Rouge curiously.

"Well, there's more than one way to get something you want. You should know that better than anybody. If you can't get it by legal means, then you must resort to illegal ways," said Knuckles.

Rouge was really surprised by all this. "You don't mean that…"

Knuckles nodded.

Rouge stood up and started pacing the floor laughing. "This is too rich. Good guy and savior of the world, Knuckles the Echidna, wants my help to pull some heists? Stop pulling my leg, Knuckles."

"I wish I was pulling your leg, Rouge, but I'm not. This shit is real," said Knuckles in a calm tone.

Rouge stopped laughing. She knew Knuckles better than to call him a liar. She knew that he was telling the truth.

"Will you help me?"

Rouge gave it some serious thought. After a few moments, she responded.

"Where's her mother?" she asked.

"I have no idea where Julie-Su is, nor do I care. She chose to abandon her child to see the world; so that's on her. Sure, I didn't know a thing about raising kids, but I did a damn good job at it without her. I wouldn't dare ask her to help me," said Knuckles.

Rouge began to ponder again.

"Okay, Knucklehead, I'll help you out, but what's in it for me?" she asked.

"Name your price," said Knuckles.

Rouge smirked.

"You know that there's only one thing of value that you have and I desire," said Rouge. "I want your emerald."

Knuckles did not respond instantly, but he finally found his words.

"Normally, I'd tell you to stop talking nonsense, but in this case, I have no choice but to make an exception. Yes, the Master Emerald is important, but it pales in comparison to the worth of my daughter. Rouge, if you help me, you can have my emerald," said Knuckles reluctantly.

A big grin spread across Rouge's face. This was her big chance to finally get the Master Emerald. She's been after it for years. Finally, all that hard work was about to pay off.

"I never thought that I'd ever hear those words. You're willingly parting with it."

"That should prove to you how desperately I need your help," said Knuckles.

"Knuckles, my man, you got yourself a deal. We'll get started tomorrow night after I set everything up. Be here at sundown and don't forget MY emerald," said Rouge.

Rouge scooted Knuckles out of her office, blew a kiss at him, and slammed the door in his face. Then, she sat back on her desk and began to celebrate her victory.

Knuckles began to walk back downstairs to the main floor. He couldn't see Silver, but he already knew where he was. Knuckles walked through the crowd to the bar in the back. He could tell that Silver had been drinking.

"Silver, what are you doing?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm just getting my drink on and talking to these honeys. You know how I roll, Knux," said Silver in his slurred speech. He turned to a teenage bat girl that was sitting next to him.

"I think that you and I should get a little batty tonight. Maybe you can suck on my neck," said Silver.

The female bat slapped him across the face and walked off.

"Fine! Screw you, bitch," said Silver. He turned to Knuckles. "She'll be back."

"I think that I'm driving us back," said Knuckles.

* * *

_Well, hope you enjoyed. The next chapter will be the first heist. If you have some insight, please let me know._

_By the way, Rouge will be voiced by Kathleen Delaney. I know most of you hate her voice acting, but I personally don't see anything wrong with it. She plays Rouge with a very feminine and lady-like persona. Just because Rouge is 18 doesn't mean that her voice actor has to be. Her voice is perfect just the way it is. I know I probably lost some cool points on that one, but I'll get over it. One thing I'm not afraid to do is voice my opinion no matter what the public opinion is._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	4. Bonnie and Clyde

_Sorry if I kept you waiting but I'm making this up as I go along. It's going to take me a while to fully sketch the robberies; so bear with me. I will try to have the story done before I have to ship off to college. If I don't, I'll make sure I still finish it. I don't start jobs and then leave them undone. Well, here's chapter 4 and the first heist._

* * *

_The following night, Knuckles found himself heading back to Club Rouge. He had a suitcase with some clothes in them since Rouge said that they would be traveling around a lot. He had a week's worth of clothes, some loose money he had, and a large black box that contained his shrunken Master Emerald._

Knuckles walked to the front of the line, where Sugar Ray was waiting. Sugar Ray said nothing to Knuckles as he walked into the club. Knuckles noticed that Sugar Ray was wearing a hat. Under the hat, Knuckles could see some bandages. He smiled because he knew why they were there.

Knuckles walked up the stairs and all the way back to Rouge's office. Rouge was sitting on her desk like last night. The only thing different about her was that she was in her normal clothes tonight: her heart chest plate, skintight jumpsuit, and her iron boots.

"Hey, Knuckie. It's nice to see you again," she greeted with a wink. "Did you bring my emerald?"

Knuckles opened his suitcase and revealed a big black jewelry box. He opened it to reveal the luster of the Master Emerald.

"It's a small price to pay for your service," said Knuckles.

Rouge's eyes lit up. She finally had the gem that she had been wanting for years. For a while, she only stared at her precious gem. To her, the beauty of the Master Emerald came the closest of all gems to matching her own beauty. Rouge reached for the gem only to have the box almost slammed on her finger. Knuckles pulled the box back over to him and placed it back in his suitcase.

"Not until after we finish the job," said Knuckles.

A presence of anger slowly crept upon Rouge's face. She let out a low snarl at Knuckles. She wanted her gem, but he was forcing her to wait for it. How dare he do that? Rouge was almost tempted to force her way upon the gem, but in the end, she decided against it. If she made any movements towards it, Knuckles might back out of the whole deal. Quickly, she changed her look of anger into her usual cunning smile.

"Anything you say, sweetie. Let's just get started already," she said.

Knuckles and Rouge walked down the stairs and out the door. Before leaving, Rouge addressed Sugar Ray.

"I'll be gone for a few days; so make sure my club isn't ruined while I'm gone, okay," ordered Rouge.

Sugar Ray nodded.

With that, Rouge led Knuckles over to her car. It was her same car from Sonic Adventure 2 with a few alterations. This car was a convertible with two seats instead of one. She also had her engine changed to a V-12 so that it could keep up with Shadow's car.

Rouge popped the trunk for Knuckles to put his stuff. Then, she unlocked the doors and hopped in. Knuckles placed his suitcase in the trunk. There were a lot of things back there including money bags, theft equipment, etc. After closing the trunk, Knuckles got in the passenger's seat.

Before long, they were heading down the streets of Nights Babylon.

"So what are we going to hit first?" asked Rouge.

"How about a gas station?" replied Knuckles.

Rouge said nothing. She just stared at the dumbfounded echidna with a look that said 'Are you serious?'.

"What?"

"Is a gas station the best that you can think of?" asked Rouge.

"On such short notice, it is," Knuckles replied.

"Knuckles, we're not Bonnie and Clyde. We're not robbing a gas station! Think about it. You say that you need a million dollars. Do you honestly think that you can get that much in a week by robbing gas stations?" asked Rouge.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" asked Knuckles.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Let's head to Emerald Town. There's a jewelry store we can rob there."

"Rouge, the kidnappers don't want any jewels," said Knuckles.

Rouge slapped Knuckles upside his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" asked Knuckles.

"For talking out of turn. If you would've let me finish, I would've told you that I have a contact in Emerald Town that'll pay good money for jewelry. We can start here. He should be good for about a hundred thousand," said Rouge.

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to hit me," said Knuckles.

"I know, but I enjoy hitting you," said Rouge with a friendly smile.

Knuckles just sat back in his seat and enjoyed the ride.

* * *

Within two hours, they were in Emerald Town. The small town had settled for the night. All the businesses and homes were in darkness.

"_Perfect_," thought Rouge.

Rouge pulled the car into the driveway of a resident of Emerald Town.

"What are you doing?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm parking, and keep your voice down. You'll wake up the whole neighborhood with your loud mouth," said Rouge.

"I do not have a loud mouth," said Knuckles under his breath. "Why did we park in someone's driveway?"

Rouge popped the trunk and went back to it. "It would look suspicious to be the only car in town this late at night, Knucklehead." She dug through all her equipment and finally found what she was looking for.

"Ah, here they are," she said.

What Rouge did next really surprised him. He gave her a goofy stare as she removed her chest plate and leather jumpsuit. Rouge was standing before him in a bra and her thong.

"Uh, Rouge…" started Knuckles.

"Before you say anything stupid, let me explain. I only stripped down to maximize flexibility in my stealth suit," said Rouge. She eased into her stealth suit (The same one from Sonic X). "Here. I've got one for you, too," she said.

"Huh? Oh, right," said Knuckles coming out of his trance. He took the suit from Rouge.

"Don't be shy, Knuckles. Lose the shirt," she said with a curious smile. "I promise I won't peek."

Rouge placed her hands over her eyes with her same grin on her face. Knuckles looked at her strangely as he took off his shirt and wife beater. Then, he took off his pants. Rouge secretly was peeking at Knuckles when he thought she could not see him. It caused her smile to get wider.

"_Not a bad package, Knucklehead. All brawn and no brain, just how I like them,_" she thought to herself. "Are you done?" she asked aloud.

"You know I am. I saw you peeking," said Knuckles. He stood there in his stealth suit. It had a crescent mark on the front just like he did.

Rouge removed her hands from her eyes. "Why, Knuckles, I do believe your eyes are playing tricks on you again. I swear I did not peek," said Rouge.

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter. Let's get to work," said Knuckles.

Rouge took to the air while Knuckles walked. They both had burlap bags in their hands. The jewelry store was half a block away. When they reached it, Rouge landed next to Knuckles.

"Okay, we're going through the roof. Here's a grappling hook so you won't leave your knuckle prints in the wall," said Rouge.

Knuckles tossed the grappling hook up to the roof and began to climb. Rouge watched from the ground.

"Nice butt, Knuckie. Now, I can see why you're so tight with your belongings," she said as he climbed.

Knuckles shook his head and blushed as Rouge stared at his posterior. He decided it best not to start a scene here in order to not jeopardize the mission. When he reached the roof, Rouge quickly flew up to join him.

"Okay, now let the expert take over," said Rouge.

She walked over to the glass window on the roof and pulled out a glass cutter. She cut out the entire window, and threw it to the side. She gracefully glided down to the floor of the museum. Knuckles jumped down. He made a loud impacting thud.

"Knuckles, we're breaking into a store. That calls for a little less reckless behavior," said Rouge quietly.

"Sorry bout that."

Knuckles turned on a flashlight. Rouge did not need anything because she was a bat. Jewels were everywhere: Rubies, Pearls, Rhinestones, Emeralds, Sapphires, and Rouge's favorite, Diamonds.

"Now, what do I take first?" Rouge wondered.

"Just remember that we're doing this for my daughter, not your own personal greed," reminded Knuckles.

"Of course." Rouge picked up a ruby. "Sometimes, a girl has to treat herself, though." She placed the ruby in her stealth suit between her breasts.

"Take that out of your pocket," said Knuckles.

"Don't worry. We'll still have enough to make a good amount of cash from my contact," said Rouge.

"Well, I'm not taking any chances," said Knuckles.

"Party pooper," pouted Rouge.

They began cutting the glass on the display cases and putting the jewels into the burlap bags they brought with them. In thirty minutes, the entire store had been cleaned out.

"How'd you know how to use a glass cutter?" asked Rouge.

"Come on, Rouge. You didn't think that you knew everything about me, did you?" said Knuckles with a smirk.

"Well, no. It's just that you strike me as a more of a good guy than a bad guy," said Rouge.

"Even good guys can have a dark side," said Knuckles.

"True, but do you think that bad girls can have a good side?" asked Rouge.

Knuckles chuckled. "I suppose so."

Rouge giggled in her usual ardent way. There was an awkward silence after that until Rouge spoke up.

"Well, let's get out of here before we get caught."

They were about to leave when Rouge looked up at the roof. Knuckles didn't secure a grappling hook at the top.

"Knuckles, where's the grappling hook?" asked Rouge.

"I have it right here," said Knuckles, revealing the grappling hook.

"So how do you plan to get out of here if the rope is down here?" Rouge asked.

"Like this." Knuckles tossed the grappling hook at the roof, but his aim was off and he broke another window on the roof.

(Alarm)

The loud security alarm started to go off.

"Smooth move, Knucklehead. Let's get out of here before someone sees us," said Rouge.

It was too late. Two GUN mechs emerged from the back. They were both GUN Hunters. The Hunters fired gunshots from the weapons on their hands. Rouge and Knuckles both avoided.

"Give me your bag. I'll meet you with the car. You take care of these mechs," said Rouge.

Knuckles tossed Rouge the bag and she flew off through the open window. The two hunters fired nonstop at Knuckles. Knuckles took cover behind a counter. The hunters sprayed gunshots through the counters. Knuckles moved to the edge. There was a huge piece of glass lying on the floor. Knuckles picked it up.

"I'm right here, metal head," said Knuckles.

One of the hunters fired a laser at Knuckles. He held up the glass. The laser reflected and skewered the other hunter.

"Watch where you're aiming that thing," Knuckles teased.

He ran over to the remaining hunter and dismantled it with his fists. Every punch tore a piece off the hunter until it was scrap. Knuckles burst out the front door just as Rouge came around.

"Hop in, Knucklehead," said Rouge.

Knuckles jumped into the passenger's seat, and Rouge took off at an alarming speed. She turned onto the highway and sped out of Emerald Town.

"You just had to go and screw up, Knuckles," said Rouge.

"It was an accident. Get over it," said Knuckles.

"Get over it? Now, I've got to reschedule the meeting with my contact. We can't stay in Emerald Town any longer because of you," Rouge scolded him.

"I'm sure that you'll figure something out," said Knuckles.

"Damn right. I'm way ahead of the game. I expected you to mess up. That's why I have a plan B. We're going to Station Square. We'll get checked into the hotel there, and I'll handle the rest without you," said Rouge.

"Hey, this is my daughter on the line here," said Knuckles.

"If you ever want to see her again, you're going to have to trust me," Rouge replied.

Rouge turned on the radio. Oddly enough, this song was on the radio. Knuckles looked over at Rouge.

_**"Bonnie & Clyde"**_

_(Verse 1: Jay-Z) _

_Look for me! Young, B  
Cruisin down the westside - high, way  
Doing what we like to do - our, way  
Eyes behind shades, this necklace the reason  
all of my dates been blind dates  
But today, I got my thoroughest girl wit me  
I'm mashin the gas, she's grabbin the wheel, it's trippy how hard  
She rides with me - the new Bobby and Whitney  
Only time we don't speak is during "Sex and the City"  
She gets Carrie fever, but soon as the show is over  
She's right back to being my soldier  
Cuz mami's a rider, and I'm a roller  
Put us together, how they gon' stop both us?  
What ever she lacks, I'm right over her shoulder  
When I'm off track mami is keepin me focused  
So let's, lock this down like it's supposed to be  
The '03 Bonnie and Clyde, Hov' and B_

_(Chorus)__  
__Jay__ All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend.  
__Bey__ Down to ride 'til the very end, it's me and my boyfriend.  
__Jay__ All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend.  
__Bey__ Down to ride 'til the very end, it's me and my boyfriend._

_(Verse 2: Jay-Z)  
The problem is, you dudes treat the one that you lovin  
with the same respect that you treat the one that you humpin  
Now they 'bout nothin - if ever you mad about somethin  
It won't be that; oh no it won't be that  
I don't be at, places where we comfy at  
With no be-atch; oh no you won't see that  
And no, I ain't perfect - nobody walkin this earth's surface is  
But girlfriend, work with the kid  
I keep you workin' at Hermes, Birkin Bag  
Manolo Blahnik, Timbs, aviator lens  
600 drops, Mercedes Benz  
The only time you wear Burberry to swim  
And I don't have to worry, only worry is him  
She do anything necessary for him  
And I do anything necessary for her  
so don't let the necessary occur, yep!_

_(Chorus)_

_(Beyonce)  
(Talk to 'em B)  
If I was your girlfriend  
I'll be there for you, if somebody hurts you  
Even if that sombody's me  
Yeah-hee (break it down for 'em)  
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be  
And so I put this on my life  
Nobody or nothing will ever come between us  
And I promise I'll give my life  
my love and my trust if you was my boyfriend  
Put this on my life  
The air that I breathe in, all that I believe in  
I promise I'll give my life  
my love and my trust if you was my boyfriend_

_(Chorus)_

_

* * *

_Knuckles and Rouge walked into the lobby of the Station Square Hotel. It was very exquisite with golden chandeliers and a fountain. They approached the counter in the lobby.

"Welcome to Station Square Hotel. How may I serve you?" said the attendant.

"We'd like a two bedroom suite," said Knuckles.

"Um, why do you need two beds?" asked the attendant.

Knuckles looked over at Rouge, who just shrugged with a smile. "She's not my girlfriend."

The attendant shrugged it off and handed Knuckles the room key.

"Here you are. That'll be one hundred seventy-five dollars," said the attendant.

Knuckles reached for his wallet, but Rouge went ahead of him and handed the attendant a gold card. The attendant swiped the card before Knuckles could object.

"Thank you, ma'am. Enjoy your stay."

Rouge strutted back past Knuckles.

"It's on the house," she said.

"Thanks."

"Eh, I feel that you ought to enjoy the luxuries while you can because when this thing is all over with, that Master Emerald is coming with me," said Rouge. "Now, be a dear and bring the bags, Knuckie."

"Jay-Z gets Beyonce for his Bonnie, but I'm stuck with London from the Suite Life of Zack and Cody," said Knuckles. "How do I get myself into these things?

He staggered all the way into the room.

* * *

_Okay. I'll stop there for now. Thanks for waiting. I hope it was worth the wait._

_Song was by Jay-Z._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	5. Memories

Knuckles awoke the next morning at 7:00 sharp. He stretched and yawned as he sat on the edge of the bed. The first thing he noticed after that was that he was alone. Rouge's bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. Could she have ditched him? If so…

"Oh no," said Knuckles worriedly.

Knuckles hopped out of the bed and ran over to the suitcase that he had brought with him. He anxiously threw all his clothes out of the suitcase and pulled out the large black box that was at the bottom. He opened it to find his Master Emerald still there. Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief.

"Still there," he said.

Knuckles neatly folded up his clothes and put them back in his suitcase except for the clothes that he was about to put on. Knuckles took them into the bathroom, where he put them on after brushing his teeth and showering. He came out in his Sean John tee and some matching blue jeans. Rouge still was not there.

"I wonder where she could have gone. If she's abandoned me, I'll…"

"You'll do what?" asked a familiar voice.

Knuckles turned around and a smirking Rouge stood there with a duffle bag in her hand. Knuckles backed up a little after feeling that Rouge was crowding his space.

"Where have you been?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

Rouge opened the duffle bag and poured its contents onto Knuckles' bed.

"Just tying up loose ends. I left last night to meet my contact. I told you that he'd deliver," replied Rouge.

Knuckles just stared at the wad of cash that lay before him. Stacks of hundreds covered the bed.

"That's 100,000," said Rouge.

Staring at this money just made him nostalgic. He remembered what he used to do before he had a daughter. Besides helping Sonic save the world from time to time, he spent the rest of his time with his childhood friends who had become real lowlifes because of bad upbringing. He soon became pressured into being grimy right along with them. The bad thing was that he actually liked it until the arrival of Lara-Su.

"That's a good start. Let's hope that we can get twice that on our next job," said Knuckles.

"Well, unless you want to hit a bank or something, we're just going to have to ease our way up," said Rouge.

"I only have five days left to get the money. I wasted one day finding you, and the second day passed by yesterday. I have no time to ease my way through," explained Knuckles.

"Don't worry. Five days is plenty of time. We just have to get moving," said Rouge. "First things first. I'm hungry. Let's go down and get some breakfast."

* * *

Knuckles and Rouge sat in a Denny's in a corner booth. Knuckles had eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage links, and Rouge had a pancake platter with sausages. Rouge sat back and watched Knuckles use his hands to eat all his food. He made loud slurping noises and ate with haste. After Knuckles had finished his bacon and eggs, he noticed Rouge looking at him.

"Is there anything wrong with your food?" he asked.

"No, but I'll tell you what's bothering me. Your table manners are appalling. You have grease and eggs all over your hands and mouth," she replied.

"That's what napkins are for, Rouge," said Knuckles, taking a napkin and cleaning his mouth.

"Still, the food is not going anywhere," said Rouge.

Knuckles ignored Rouge's testy remarks. He looked out of the window and looked at the bright sun. He remembered taking Lara-Su to school every morning. It didn't make any difference what the weather was like. Knuckles always escorted her everyday and picked her up. Some days, he would stand alone in the rain until school was over and his only pride and joy was back beside him.

"Knuckles!" yelled Rouge in a louder voice than usual.

"Huh?" he said after being pulled from his daydream.

"You okay. I didn't mean to make you mad or anything," she said.

"You didn't. I was just thinking about some things. We really need to hit some place big today. The jewelry store was a good start, but we need to get more money at once," said Knuckles.

"Well, do you have anything in mind?" asked Rouge.

"I want to keep a low profile but still be able to get a lot of money at the same time," said Knuckles. "I know. Station Square Savings and Loans. They have a back door that we can use to escape very quickly and without being seen if possible."

"Listen to you. First, you surprise me with the glass cutter, and now you know how to make out a good plan. What's your secret? I thought that you were as dense as that rock you guard," teased Rouge.

"Like I said, we all have our secrets," replied Knuckles.

"Well, why keep your partner in the dark?"

"I thought you liked the dark," said Knuckles with a smirk.

Rouge looked on at Knuckles as he smirked and began to blush.

"_My, he's cute when he smirks,"_ she thought.

"Just tell me what I want to know and quite messing around," demanded Rouge.

"Very well. My past is something that I like to keep to myself. When I think back, I sometimes hate myself for some of the things I did. Frankly, I don't see how you do it so well."

"Very simple. I practice avoiding the spotlight," said Rouge.

"Well, Magic, the crew, and I were anything but out of the spotlight.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

Magic, Knuckles, and King all stood in the front of a liquor store in Station Square. King stood out front while Knuckles and Magic went inside. Magic and Knuckles both had red bandanas over their mouths. Magic walked up to the counter and revealed a pistol.

"Alright, give us all the money or forfeit your life," said Magic.

"Don't shoot!" said the cashier. He opened the register and put his hands up in the air.

Knuckles ran behind the register and filled a plastic bag with all the money that he could. Magic grabbed him a 40 oz. off of the shelf. Then, he and Knuckles ran out of the store. Stream and Big Blue were both waiting in the getaway car that was at the end of the block. Stream and Big Blue drove up next to them. They all jumped in and sped off.

"Whoo!" said Magic with glee. "How much money did we get, Knuckles?"

"I count about six hundred dollars here," said Knuckles.

"Boys, which one of you can say that you made one hundred twenty dollars in a minute before?" asked Magic.

"I know I can't," said Stream.

"Why should you get a cut, anyway? You didn't do shit," said King.

"Hey, the family looks out for its own. It shares everything with all of the members because it realizes how important each one is; therefore, shut the hell up, King," said Magic.

Big Blue made cigarette smoke rings as he drove. Magic opened up the 40 oz. that he swiped from the store.

"Do you want a swig of this, Knuckles?" asked Magic.

"No. I'm about to go see Julie-Su. Big Blue, would you drop me off at her house?"

Big Blue simply nodded and continued driving. He didn't talk much unless it was with his fists, but when he did speak, everybody else shut up.

After a twenty minute drive, Knuckles arrives at Julie-Su's house. The rest of his buddies went off to drink and smoke. Knuckles walked up the steps that led to her porch and knocked on the door. Ten seconds later, the love of Knuckles' life answered the door.

"Hey, baby. How are you doing?" greeted Julie-Su. She gave Knuckles a sweet kiss before inviting him inside.

"I've been okay. I've been hanging out with the guys," explained Knuckles.

"Actually, I'm glad that you're here. I have some news for you," said Julie-Su.

Knuckles wrapped his big bulging arms around her waist. "I hope that it's good news."

"Well, it all depends on how you take it," said Julie-Su.

She took his arms from around her, which told him that something very troubling was on her mind. He led her to her couch and sat down next to her.

"What's the news?" he asked with a very concerned look.

"You know how I've been feeling sick these past few days? Well, I came from the doctor's yesterday and found out why I'm so sick. Knuckles, you're going to be a father," said Julie-Su. "I'm already two months into it."

"Baby, is this some kind of a joke? I thought that you were taking your pills," said a very disturbed Knuckles.

"I was, but I guess that there was a slip-up," she said.

Knuckles sighed. "I'm not ready to be a dad. Hell, I'm only sixteen," said Knuckles.

"I know. I'm not ready either, but it looks like we're going to have to do it," said Julie-Su.

_Knuckles P.O.V._

It took some time for me to accept it, but it finally happened. Julie-Su had our child seven months later and named her Lara-Su. The first time I held her, I thought that I'd never let her go. The way that she wiggled in my arms, the warmth of her body, the innocence I saw in her, and the precious way she smiled at me made me take a bow on my life to protect her with it.

The minute I left my new child and her mother at the hospital, I went to find Magic and my friends. They were all hanging out at Magic's crib in downtown Station Square. I walked in, unsure of how to tell the guys that I had known most of my life that I didn't want anything more to do with their illegal activities. I knocked on the door and Stream answered.

"Knuckles! Come on in. We've been looking for you. Magic's got a new plan that he wants to put into action," Stream told me when he opened the door.

I walked into the living room. It was really dirty. They were good friends at the time, but they never cleaned up after themselves. Clothes and food containers were scattered across the floor and in every corner. The guys didn't seem like they even knew how terrible the place looked.

"Ah, Knuckles, you're just the echidna I wanted to see. I have big plans for us," said Magic.

"How so?" I asked.

"We've done well so far with our robberies of the neighborhood stores, but I think that our game needs to be stepped up. I figured out a way to get us all paid. We'll do a bank heist and take it for all it's worth. With a squad like this, it'll be a cinch," said Magic.

"I'm down," said King.

"Me too," Stream nodded.

Big Blue simply nodded his head. Then, they all turned to me, but I remained silent.

"Well, are you in or not? We really need you, homie," said Magic.

"Magic, there's something I need to say. Now, I've been loyal to all you for most of my life, but now I find that I must establish new loyalties with my new daughter and her mother," I said.

As I looked at Magic, I could see rage in his eyes as well as a sense of hurt and betrayal.

"After all that we've been through, you're just going to abandon us for some bitch?"

"That 'bitch' gave birth to my child. From the moment I saw her looking at me, I made a vow to give her what I never had. A father," I said.

Magic just stood there for a moment, looking at me like the traitor that he thought me to be. "What about family?"

"I have a new family now. We can still be friends, but I can't risk being taken from my daughter," I said.

Magic pushed me. "Man, fuck you. We don't need any traitors in this family. Go on back to your bitch and brat."

I walked out of that door and out of their lives for what I thought was for good. They went along with Magic's plan, but it failed miserably. Not only did they not get out with any cash, but Magic was arrested during the escape. He was charged with attempted robbery. He must have gotten out on parole or on good behavior. Anyway, I went on to live life with my daughter and my baby's mother. I built the small house on my floating island, and they moved in with me; however, on Lara-Su's third birthday, I found a note from Julie-Su. It read:

Dear Knuckles:

I love you and Lara-Su with all my heart, but I feel that I haven't loved myself enough. I spend all my time dealing with you and Lara-Su; so I never had a chance to live for myself. There are many things in this world that I want to see and do, but I can't as long as I have you two around. I've made my decision. By the time you read this, I will be long gone. Take care of our daughter and protect her always.

-Julie-Su.

(_End Flashback_) _Normal P.O.V._

* * *

"Since then, it's just been me and Lara-Su. It was hard at first, but I always bested every challenge that stood in our way until now," said Knuckles.

Rouge looked across the table and saw a tear forming in the corner of his eye. She passed him a napkin, which he gladly accepted.

"I have a question. Why'd you tell me all of this?" asked Rouge.

"I don't know. Something told me that you would understand me more than any of the others would," said Knuckles.

Rouge gave Knuckles a warm smile before grabbing him by the hand.

"Come on. Let's go," she said.

"Where are we going?" asked Knuckles.

"Have you forgotten already? We have a job to do," said Rouge with glee.

"Oh, yeah. Let's get to it," said Knuckles.

He generously left a tip on the table and left with his partner in crime.

* * *

_Now, it's time for a good news/bad news._

_Bad news: I leave for college on the sixteenth; so I might not have much time to write. Maybe, I will._

_Good news: I have a laptop; so if I have time at college, I'll continue the story. I'll see how many chapters I can get done before then, okay._

_As always, R &R_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	6. Disguise the Limit

_Icy Knuckles is back with the fierceness_

_Icy Knuckles is back with the fierceness. Chapter 5 was just a plotline filler. Now, it's on to the main event. _

* * *

Knuckles and Rouge parked across the street from Station Square Savings and Loans. Rouge backed into the alley so that they could make a quick escape.

"Okay, remember the plan, Knuckles?" asked Rouge. She put a gypsy rag on her head and had changed into some gypsy clothes.

Knuckles nodded. He had changed his appearance too. He was now wearing a Jamaican beanie and a Kwanzaa shirt. Lucky for him, he already had dreads. The disguises were so that they would not be recognized so easily. After all, Knuckles and Rouge were both part of the famous Sonic Team.

"Okay. Let's do it."

Knuckles entered the bank first. He eased past the two bank guards that were at the front door. He went over and stood by the ATM machine that was conveniently located inside the bank. It wasn't exactly an ATM machine because it only took debit cards that were processed at the bank itself. Knuckles pulled out his driver's license and pretended to do a transaction. He very slowly looked up from the machine and saw that no one was paying him any attention. So far so good. Now, it was up to Rouge.

About a minute later, Rouge entered the bank in her gypsy outfit. She approached one of the clerks.

"I would like to make a withdrawal. I need some cash for lunch, don't ya know?" said Rouge in her phony baloney accent.

"Sure, ma'am. Can I get your account number?" asked the clerk.

"5412346784563," said Rouge.

Knuckles watched Rouge closely as the clerk typed the numbers in on the computer.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but there's no account affiliated with those numbers," said the clerk.

"This is an outrage, child!" said Rouge in a pitch that attracted a few other looks as well. "I've been a loyal customer to this bank for years, mon. After all the money I put in here, you'd think Madam Cassandra could get a little respect as a customer!" argued Rouge.

"Ma'am, the computer says…"

"I don't give a flip what the computer says! What am I going to do about lunch money? Have you thought of that?" yelled Rouge.

Rouge was getting attention from everyone in the bank now. The clerk was clearly pissed off at the moment. The security guard approached Rouge from behind. He was a human, approximately six feet tall with a low cut.

"What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" he asked in a polite voice.

"What's the problem? Madam Cassandra needs lunch money. I only have an hour to take it, and I didn't expect it to take thirty minutes to get my money," said Rouge.

At this time, Knuckles was creeping around. While Rouge had the whole bank distracted, no one noticed that him slipping to a back room of the bank, where the manager sat in her comfy chair.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked.

Knuckles pulled out a .38 caliber pistol and held it at the lady. The lady soon branded a fearful expression on her face. Her eyes became huge as she stared down the barrel of the gun.

"Shut up and nobody gets hurt. I need you to open the vault," said Knuckles calmly.

The manager started to shake. Knuckles could see the tears forming in her eyes. She looked like she was about to wail loudly.

"Lady, don't you yell. I swear I'll put one right between your eyes," Knuckles threatened.

"Please. I have a family," said the manager.

"Who do you think I'm doing this for? I'm trying to save my family, lady. Now, open the safe, I'll take the money, and then I'm gone," said Knuckles.

The manager slowly got up from her desk and walked over to the padlock on the wall. She entered her code, and the door to the vault swung open. Knuckles unlocked and opened the back door to the bank, which was located right in the manager's office. He picked up the empty duffle bag that he had placed there before coming in and brought it inside.

"Come here," said Knuckles, grabbing the woman by her arm. The woman started squealing. Knuckles placed his hand over her mouth. "I'm warning you. Shut up and I'll make this easy on you; otherwise, you've got problems."

Knuckles led the woman inside the vault. When he got inside, his jaw dropped. The vault was almost vacant. There were only a small number of stacks on one shelf.

"Where's all the damn money?" asked Knuckles.

"We sent most of it to the national bank in Central City to be counted and processed. A bank is not allowed to hold more than the estimated need of its customers," said the manager.

"Damn it!" Knuckles punched the wall. There was nothing more that he could do but to take the money that was there and be satisfied.

Meanwhile at the front, Rouge was giving the bank a headache.

"Ma'am, for the last time, your account is not in our system," said the clerk. "I can get the manager to double check if you want."

"Forget it. I don't need any help from your damn manager. I tell you what Madam Cassandra's going to do. Madam Cassandra is going to sue you for every penny your pathetic little bank has. So there." Rouge walked towards the exit. "You haven't heard the last of Madam Cassandra. I see a dim future for this place." She exited the bank and ran over to her car. As she ran, she took off her gypsy rag and chuckled to herself the whole way. "I hope that knucklehead is ready."

She pulled up behind the bank. The second she came up close, Knuckles burst through the door and jumped in.

"Let's go," said Knuckles.

Rouge put her foot to the pedal and sped off into the distance.

"So how'd it go?" asked Rouge.

Knuckles took off his beanie and set it on the floor. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Why not? Didn't you get the money?" asked Rouge.

"Yeah, I got the money."

"Then, what's the problem?"

Knuckles tossed her the bag of money. It was lighter than she expected it to be.

"Where's all the money?" she asked.

"The manager said that it had been sent to the national bank in Central City," Knuckles explained.

"Is that the next place you want to go?" asked Rouge.

"Are you kidding? The two of us can't take a national bank. We'd be caught on the 'welcome' mat. Even the almighty Rouge the Bat couldn't do it," said Knuckles.

Rouge smirked. "You sure do have a way with words, handsome. Well, what do you have in mind?"

"Westopolis takes in a great amount of revenue every day. That'll probably be our best bet," said Knuckles.

"Okay. Just a reminder: My emerald had better be in my hand at the end of the week," said Rouge.

"It's impossible to forget something that is constantly brought up," said Knuckles slightly annoyed.

"I'm just warning you in case you get any knuckleheaded ideas. Hell hath no fury like Rouge the Bat pissed off," said Rouge.

"Women!" said Knuckles as he let his seat back and enjoyed the ride.

* * *

_Short, I know, but R & R anyway. Thanks. Also, I'm still in the processing stage regarding the Westopolis heist; so if you have any ideas, I'm all ears._

_  
ICY KNUCKLES_


	7. Rogue Agent

_Let the story continue. I found out my next move. _

_

* * *

_It's an early morning at the G.U.N. headquarters as Shadow takes a sip of coffee from his personal mug. The mornings were always slow usually because nothing big ever happened in the mornings. Shadow sat at his desk with his feet on the desk and his chair reared back. He was completely ignoring the paperwork on his desk simply because he didn't feel like filling out forms. He always manages to come through before they're due somehow no matter what time he starts. Shadow was enjoying his peace and quiet until a G.U.N. officer approached his desk.

"Hard at work as usual, eh, Shadow?" teased the officer. He was a skinny guy, about 5'6, and had dirty blonde hair with a crew cut.

Shadow opened his eyes and gave him an annoyed look. "What do you want, Jenkins?"

"The commander wants to see all of his agents in the briefing room immediately," said Jenkins.

Shadow sighed. "I'll be right there." He really hated his mornings being interrupted. The commander had better have a good reason for interrupting him or he might just hit the whole building with a Chaos Blast.

Shadow took his feet off of his desk and walked out of the office down the hall, took the elevator up to the fifth floor, and arrived promptly to the briefing room a minute later. He walked in and saw that he was the last one to arrive.

"Nice of you to show up, Agent Shadow. Now, we can begin," said the commander.

Shadow took his designated seat at the long table, which was next to Rouge. He looked next to him and saw that the seat was empty.

"We have a very urgent situation that has recently come up. Normally, this sort of thing is left in the hands of the local police, but this is a very special situation," said the commander.

"Commander, shouldn't we wait on Rouge before we discuss the situation? She is the top agent here," said one of the agents.

"Rouge _is_ the situation," said the commander. "For the past couple of days, Rouge has been off duty on her vacation days, but we've just discovered that she's not really on vacation." The giant monitor behind the commander turned on. "This is security footage taken from Station Square Savings and Loans just an hour ago. As you can see, a gypsy was making trouble for the clerks at the bank. We've zoomed in on her and got a positive I.D. that this gypsy is Agent Rouge."

"What's so special about Rouge playing dress-up in a bank?" asked an agent.

"As we zoom out and look in the back, we can see that her act was merely a distraction to allow this gentleman to sneak into the back of the bank undetected," said the commander as he zoomed in on Knuckles. "There hasn't been any positive I.D. on him yet, but we do know that he's an echidna. Here, we can see the echidna hold the bank manager at gun point and force her to open the vault. After taking the money, he exited through the back door."

"How can we be sure that Rouge is involved with the culprit? What if he was just lucky that Rouge picked today to cause a scene?" asked another agent.

"I'm glad you asked," said the commander. The monitor changed again. "This is a picture of two heat signatures that were photographed by a guard robot at a jewelry store in Emerald Town last night. They have been identified as an echidna and bat energy signature. Coincidence? I think not," he concluded.

The monitors went blank again.

"Under normal conditions, we could ignore this and void all the charges on Rouge by finding a scapegoat, but because she involved a non-agent in her crimes, she must be considered a rogue and brought in as well. As an accessory to an armed robbery, she must be dealt with. Put out an A.P.V. for Rouge the Bat. If you see her, you are to apprehend her and her accomplice by any means necessary. Dismissed," said the commander.

All of the agents except Shadow got up from the table and went back to their duties. As Shadow sat there, he thought about his friend.

"_What's Rouge gotten herself into now?"_ he wondered to himself.

"You're thinking about her. Aren't you?" asked the commander.

"It just doesn't make any sense. I can understand the jewelry store robbery, but a bank isn't Rouge's style," explained Shadow.

"I know. There's a missing piece to this puzzle somewhere, but it's too late to figure out what it is. I'm sorry, but Rouge is now a felon; she must be dealt with accordingly. I know that she's your friend, but I trust you to do the right thing when the time comes," said the commander.

The commander walked off, leaving Shadow there in the room alone with his thoughts.

* * *

_I know. That's a short chapter for such a long break, but I've been busy. I hope you all can understand that. The next one will be longer because we'll be getting back to my favorite duo._

_The plot thickens. Now, G.U.N. is after Knuckles and Rouge. How will they fare? You'll have to wait for my next update to find out. Oh, and that ending part was not Shadouge. Anyone who knows me could probably figure that out, but this is for those who don't know me very well._

_P.S. College is great!! __:)_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	8. Breaking and Entering

_Welcome back to my next installment of The Price. I want to thank all my supporters for…. Supporting me. I do it for you._

* * *

It was sunset when Knuckles and Rouge arrived in Westopolis. They had not been here since the Black Arms wrecked it. It looked a whole lot better, but Westopolis was far from being totally rebuilt. The night life around here seemed to be picking back up, but it was still a little off. After the alien attack, not many people really wanted to live in Westopolis. That's why Knuckles and Rouge thought that this would be the perfect place for a quick heist.

"Wow! Westopolis is quite beautiful when the buildings aren't falling down," said ansRouge as she pulled into a gas station.

"It does have that certain feel about it," agreed Knuckles. "Why are we stopping?"

"Unless you want to walk the rest of the way, I suggest that we get some gas, Knucklehead," said Rouge. She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a twenty. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Bring me back a Mountain Dew and a honey bun," said Knuckles, handing her a five.

Rouge took the five and headed into the store, leaving Knuckles in the car. Rouge had left her phone in the car. Knuckles picked up the phone and began to dial Silver.

(Ring)

It rang a few times before Silver finally answered.

"Hello." Knuckles could tell that Silver was asleep when he called because he sounded like he had swallowed a buzz saw.

"Hey, Silver. What's the word?" asked Knuckles.

"Knuckles! I was wondering when I was going to hear from you," said Silver in a more alert tone.

"Sorry. I've been busy getting this money," said Knuckles.

"How's that going?"

"So far, so good. I am a quarter of the way there," said Knuckles.

"I expected you to be further by now. You have only four days to come up with the rest of the money or Lara-Su is history. You know that we can't let that happen," said Silver.

"It's not going to happen. I'll make sure of that."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. Just be there when I need you," said Knuckles.

"You can count on that. By the way, how are you and Rouge getting along?

"She's been very supportive of me. I do believe that she understands the seriousness of this matter. We've hardly ever fought. I hate to admit it, but she's actually proven to be a great ally and an even better friend. I like this Rouge," said Knuckles.

"Well, once you give her your emerald, she probably won't be so friendly," said Silver.

"Maybe. I guess I better enjoy it while I can," said Knuckles.

Inside the store, Rouge had found Knuckles' Mountain Dew and honey bun and was now headed to the register. The clerk was a teenage porcupine with bad acne. He didn't even notice Rouge in the store. If she didn't need to pay for the gas, Rouge would've walked out of the store without paying.

"Excuse me," she said politely.

The porcupine did not turn around.

"Hello."

Still, no response.

"Hey!" screamed Rouge.

"Whoa. You don't have to yell, Bat-Lady," said the porcupine, holding his ear as he jumped from his seat. Whenever Rouge raised her voice, it meant that she was ticked. She placed her hand on one of her hips.

"Can I pay for this now and get some gas?" she asked.

"I don't know. Can you?"

Rouge's eye began to twitch. She grabbed the porcupine by his shirt. "Look here, spikes. I'm in a rush; so if you don't mind, I'd like to pay for this and get out of here as soon as possible," said Rouge.

The porcupine took a close look at Rouge. He stared at her with that same look for five seconds.

"I know you!" said the porcupine with surprise

"Excuse me?" asked a confused Rouge. She let the porcupine down with a nice drop.

"You're the bat that was involved in the bank scam. That was some cold shit to do. You and your partner are like the modern day Bonnie and Clyde. Hey, can I get your autograph?" asked the porcupine.

"How'd you find that out?" she asked him.

"It's been all over TV for the past five hours." The porcupine pointed at the TV that was on a table behind the counter. The TV showed the security camera footage from the job that she and Knuckles had pulled earlier today.

"_Here, we see the female suspect, positively identified as Rouge the Bat, as she distracts the security guard while her male partner, who remains unidentified at the moment, sneaks in the back and holds the manager at gunpoint. A small amount was taken from the vault before the male suspect fled the scene. Suspects are armed and dangerous. G.U.N. has been alerted to the actions taken by their former agent and are currently in pursuit of the two suspects," said the TV reporter._

"Unbelievable. How'd they find out that it was me?" she asked herself.

Rouge placed a twenty onto the counter and scurried out the door.

"Turn on the gas pump, kid," said Rouge before the door shut behind her.

"Hey, she didn't even pay for the drink and honey bun. Her streak continues," said the porcupine excitedly.

Rouge hurried over to the gas pump and quickly pumped her gas. Then, she got into the car and passed Knuckles his snacks.

"Thanks, Rouge," he said.

"Whatever. Listen, we need to get out of here right now," she said.

"Why?" asked Knuckles.

"Things just got ten times harder. While I was in there, I saw our faces on TV. G.U.N.'s after us. They've already identified me. It won't be long before they know who you are," explained Rouge.

Knuckles punched the dashboard. "How'd they pick up our trail so quick?"

"I don't know, but we can't check into a hotel," said Rouge. "They'd find us out too quickly."

"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Knuckles.

"How should I know? This is your crazy scheme that you got me mixed into," said Rouge.

"So you're blaming me for G.U.N. being after us?" asked Knuckles.

"No. I'm blaming you for G.U.N. being after ME," said Rouge. "I must've been crazy to help you."

"If you want out, you can leave whenever you're ready," said Knuckles.

"Oh no. If I must go down, you're going with me, Knuckie," said Rouge.

"Are you done?" asked Knuckles.

"One more thing: I hope we share a cell," said Rouge with a sly smile.

Knuckles looked at her and smiled. No matter how much they argued, it always ended with a friendly smile and an occasional laugh.

"You seriously are batty, aren't you?" he asked.

"I was being serious, though. If we don't figure out something soon, we're going to be behind bars," said Rouge.

They were now headed into a high-class neighborhood. The houses were getting fancier and fancier as they traveled down the road. Knuckles and Rouge came upon one house with a limousine sitting in front of it.

"Stop the car!" said Knuckles.

Rouge brought the car to a halt.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Look. The guy is leaving, and it looks like he's going on a business trip," said Knuckles.

"That's a great idea, Knuckles. We'll use his house as a safety net for the night," said Rouge.

"Oh? My plan was to steal his limo and ride around in it for the night but your idea works too," said Knuckles.

Rouge placed her right hand on her forehead and shook her head. "You never change, Knuckles." She laughed out loud.

The limousine pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road. Knuckles and Rouge both glided down the hill to the front door.

"Shall we ring the doorbell?" asked Knuckles sarcastically.

"I always bring a pair of wire cutters with me in case of emergency," said Rouge as she pulled them from her heart top.

"You mean in case you're feeling jewel-hungry?" asked Knuckles.

"Same thing."

Rouge felt around for the security box. All rich people had alarm systems. They just can't do without them. This guy was no exception. Rouge opened the security box to reveal a sea of wires that all were different colors.

"Shit. This will take some time," said Rouge.

"Let me look," said Knuckles.

Knuckles took a quick glance at the configuration. "It's the red one."

Knuckles snatched the wire cutters from Rouge and hastily cut the red wire.

"No!" Rouge closed her eyes and covered her ears. After about five seconds, she opened her eyes and put her hands down. Knuckles pulled the front doorknob off the door, and they walked in. They both stared in wonder as they looked around the house after Rouge found the light switch. Knuckles put the doorknob back in place. It stayed in place.

The place was a football field. There literally could've been a stoplight installed in the living room for cars passing through. Everything in there was either gold or platinum. The chandeliers shined brightly down on their heads. Knuckles walked over to a wall panel. He pressed one button and a shark tank appeared from behind a wall. It wasn't a big, regular shark species. These were rare miniature sharks. Knuckles pressed another button and the floor started to move. Right in the middle of the living room, he had a hot tub, and it was even golden. His house could be on MTV Cribs.

"Wow! I could stay here forever," said Rouge. "I wonder if he'd consider adopting a thief."

"Only if he wants to ruin the house's property value," said Knuckles.

"Say what you want. I'll be in the hot tub. You can join me if you want," said Rouge.

Rouge stripped down to her 'bare essentials' and got comfortable in the tub.

Knuckles blushed so that he was totally red. He turned around to hide it. "Nah. I'll pass. I wonder what he got to eat up in here. I'm hungry as hell."

"Well, you don't have to leave the room to eat," said Rouge.

"Where? I don't see anything to eat," said Knuckles, looking around the room. He saw the smirk on Rouge's face and knew what she meant.

"You're sick," said Knuckles.

Rouge giggled in her sexy voice.

(A/N: If you don't know what Rouge was referring to, don't worry about it. Continue reading.)

He left the room in search of the kitchen. He looked all over the house. He looked over twenty doors. There were so many rooms in this mansion that Knuckles had gotten lost. There were doors that led to more doors, about twelve bedrooms, and the den. The den was about the size of Knuckles' house on Angel Island.

After about a half hour, Knuckles finally found the kitchen. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. A bright light blinded Knuckles for a second. When he could see, his lights sparkled like diamonds. The refrigerator was full of food, but the thing that really made him smile was the fresh grapes. Knuckles found a bowl from in the cabinets and started piling them into the bowl. Once he had enough, he grabbed the bowl and the bottle of wine that he had lifted from the wine cellar and walked out. It took him nearly ten minutes to find his way back to the living room. The big pile of grapes that he had in the bowls had been halved. Knuckles looked into the hot tub to see that Rouge was missing from the hot tub.

"Rouge!" he called out as he sat down on the Suede couch.

"I'm over here, Knuckie," she called from what appeared to be nowhere. Knuckles looked upon the stairs and spotted Rouge coming down. She was now wearing a stunning white silk gown.

"Why are you going through his wife's things?" asked Knuckles.

"He's not married."

"How do you know that?"

"I know businessmen. They wine and dine sexy, young girls and buy them all these expensive garments in exchange for sexual favors. Besides, do you see any pictures of his wife around the house?" Rouge explained.

"I guess you have a point there," said Knuckles.

Rouge came over to the couch and sat real close to Knuckles. Usually, he'd brush her off, but this time, he let her stay. He felt relaxed with her near him.

"Knuckles, how'd you know that the red wire was the right one?" asked Rouge.

"I didn't. Red's just my favorite color," said Knuckles.

Rouge giggled softly. "Knuckles, you are truly a great person."

"If I'm so great, why did Magic get away with Lara-Su?" he asked her.

"You didn't LET him take your daughter. It was just beyond your control. Nobody could've done any more for their child than you," said Rouge.

Rouge leaned in and tried to kiss Knuckles, but he resisted.

"What's wrong?" asked Rouge.

"Just stop the act, Rouge. We both know that the only reason that you're still with me is that you want my emerald. I see right through your ruse; so don't bother playing with my emotions," said Knuckles. He pushed her aside and walked up the stairs and into the master bedroom. He buried his face into his hands.

"You feel like a failure. You feel that if you had done things differently, things would be better. You feel like you're the cause of all the terrible things that happen to you. Right?" asked Rouge. She was standing in the doorway.

"How would you know how I feel?"

"When I was a girl around seven, my father, if he must be called that, walked out on my mother and me. When he left, he took everything but the clothes on our back. After that, we moved in with my aunt for a while, but that was short-lived because of my aunt's drug problem. My mother didn't want me around the influence; so we moved into a rundown apartment building on the lower east side of Station Square. My mother found a job cleaning up at a processing plant. She worked herself to exhaustion everyday and walked two and a half miles to get there. A few months later, my mother caught pneumonia. We were barely getting by as it was; so we couldn't afford to go to a doctor…."

Knuckles looked up at Rouge as she attempted to hold back tears. He went over to her and pulled her into an embrace.

"It's okay," said Knuckles as he hugged her. She returned the embrace.

"I was so alone," said Rouge through teary eyes. "At first, I blamed myself until I finally realized that there was nothing that I could do, but there is still something that we can do for Lara-Su. Knuckles, don't let her grow up without a father like I did."

"I won't. You have my word," said Knuckles.

Rouge gave him a kiss on the cheek. This time, he did not struggle. She worked her way around to his lips, where he gladly began to return the favor. Soon, Rouge opened her mouth and requested entrance into his. He gladly opened up and tasted her luscious lips. Having her soft body pressed up against his hard one actually felt good to both of them. Knuckles was coming out of his shirt and Rouge was getting back into her undergarments. They soon began to have a rough make out session until Rouge felt something stick her. She had to push Knuckles off, to her regret, and see what had stuck her.

"What is it?" asked Knuckles.

Rouge pulled the item from under her.

"This was poking me in a very uncomfortable place," said Rouge. She examined the item, which was a keyset. "Hey, wait a minute. These are not ordinary keys. They look like keys to safe deposit boxes. The box numbers are even written on the keys.

"Still, how do we figure out which banks hold which keys?" asked Knuckles.

"Simple. What's the only bank in Westopolis where rich people do their banking?" asked Rouge.

"Central Banking?"

"Exactly. Knuckles, I think that we've found our next move."

_Took me a while, but I finally finished. If I have a major mistake in my writing, send me a PM. This laptop can act funny at times and place my typing icon in weird places. I would say more, but I have a chemistry test to study for. Please review!_

_ICY KNUCKLES_

* * *


	9. Getting Serious

_Icy Knuckles is here with the next installment, but first, I want to take the time out to thank all my supporters. It's all you. Also, if you want to view some of my OCs, three of them are included in Supergamergreg's story, __Sonic Riders: Ultimate Tournament. __Check out Team Dynamic. Well, I feel a need to start a new story; so let me finish this one up._

* * *

The following morning, Knuckles and Rouge found themselves positioned in front of Central Banking Inc. They were sitting in a foreign sports car that they just happen to get into this morning after Knuckles found another key chain. They both agreed that it was best to switch cars since G.U.N. knew Rouge's car on sight.

"Okay, what's the plan here?" asked Rouge.

"I'm going in and bringing the cash out," said Knuckles.

"That's a brilliant plan," said Rouge sarcastically.

"Give me a break. I'm making this up as I go along," said Knuckles.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We'll figure something out," said Rouge. When she put her hand on the door, Knuckles grabbed her by the arm.

"I'm afraid that I can't risk that. I must do this one alone. If they recognize you, it's all over for both of us," said Knuckles.

"Come on, Knuckles. You know that you need me," said Rouge.

"I can do this on my own. There's no illegal activity; so there's no reason to cause a scene," said Knuckles

"Who says that I'll cause a scene?" asked Rouge. She put on an innocent look.

"I do. Now, stay put. I'll be right back." Knuckles got out of the car and walked into the bank. This bank was unlike most banks. It was pretty upscale. The place looked brand new. There wasn't a sign of aging anywhere. Knuckles could feel the cash flowing through this place as he approached an uppity-looking man. Even his voice sounded fake. His French accent sounded like an illegal immigrant who was trying to learn English.

"How can I help you sir?" he asked.

"I'd like access to my safe deposit box please," said Knuckles.

"Name?"

"Percival Peabody," said Knuckles.

"You're THE Percival Peabody? You look a little plain to be someone so wealthy," said the bank clerk.

"Well, you look a little Mexican to be someone so French; so that makes us even," said Knuckles. He was tired of questions already.

The clerk gave Knuckles a dirty look. "Well, you wouldn't mind if I could have some identity then. Would you?" asked the clerk.

Knuckles slowly reached into his pocket. He knew that he would be found out if the guy saw his I.D. As he felt around for his wallet, he tried to think of a way out of this predicament but nothing came to mind. Just then, a woman next to him started getting loud. She was complaining about her check.

"Why can't you cash my check? You cashed everyone else's checks; so mine shouldn't be a problem. Let me speak to the manager," said the lady.

Frenchy was distracted by the lady's rude remarks and forgot all about Knuckles' situation. He pulled out a pad.

"Just sign here and go on back. There'll be someone there to assist you," said Frenchy. He placed a pen and a pad in front of Knuckles. Knuckles scribbled his 'alias' down on the pad and walked on back to the safe deposit box.

Meanwhile in the car, Rouge was getting quite bored. She laid her seat back and tried to listen to the radio, but nothing good was on her favorite stations. After a while, she just turned it off.

"I hope Knuckles hurries up. It's boring out here playing lookout," said Rouge

Rouge closed her eyes and sighed. If she did not get out soon, she would go stir-crazy. Why'd she let Knuckles make her stay anyway and so easily? Was it because he made her feel vulnerable last night or something else? Whatever it was, she did not quite understand it.

Rouge reopened her eyes. She looked in the mirror and they quickly became wide at what she saw. Two G.U.N. agents were heading her way.

"Damn, How'd they find me so fast?" she asked herself aloud. Then, she looked down at her phone. "Of course. They've been tracking my signal." They were quickly heading her way. It was no use trying to escape because they'd see her if she stood up, but they'd see her anyway if she stayed inside the car. Rouge was trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"Hey, Spencer, the signal is coming from over here," said one of the agents.

"Where?" asked the other agent. His voice was gruff and his physique was quite impressive.

"Wait a second. I'll tell you which vehicle." The agent crept closer and closer until he was standing next to Rouge's car. "It's this one."

They both looked inside the car. Rouge's cell phone sat on the charger inside the cup holder on the front seat, but that was all that was in the car.

"There's her phone, but where is she?" asked Spencer.

"She's probably trying to cash a check or something to get some funds while she hides out," said the other agent. He sounded like the guy that operates Big Foot on SA2B.

"Well, it'll be nice to rain on her parade," said Spencer.

They both headed towards the bank. Rouge emerged from under the car. Some smut managed to get on her face, but that was about all the damage she received from being crammed under the car.

"I got to get to Knuckles before they do, but I can't let them see me," she said aloud to herself again. Rouge looked over and saw an air vent that led into the bank. "Bingo!"

Back inside the bank, a lady had led Knuckles back to the safe deposit box room. Knuckles looked around. There must've been over a thousand boxes in there.

"What's your box number, sir?" asked the young lady. She was an echidna who favored Tikal in the face, but her coloring was way off. She was a dark brown instead of a light orange and she wore large earrings.

"187456," said Knuckles.

"Right this way," said the echidna girl.

Knuckles followed her over to a box marked with his respective box number. Knuckles inserted his key into the box and unlocked it, but what was inside was not what he wanted to see. He counted a couple thousand dollars of cash, but the rest of the box's contents were valuable gemstones and documentations.

"Is this all that's in here?" asked Knuckles.

"Well, sir, you were the one that placed it in here. I assure you that no one has touched it before today," said the echidna girl.

"Who touched it?" he asked.

"Uh, you, sir," said the echidna girl.

Knuckles mentally slapped himself for ever asking that question. He was glad that Rouge wasn't there to see it. He'd never hear the end of it. "Well, how about this one?" he asked.

"That's not your box, sir," said the echidna girl.

"I don't care. This isn't even close to the amount that I need; so open another one," said Knuckles.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that," said the echidna girl.

"Never mind. I'll do it myself," said Knuckles. Knuckles used his gargantuan strength to rip a safe deposit box out of the wall and used his fist to open the box. Inside that box was more gems and a few thousand dollars. Knuckles put the money into his pocket and poured the gems into his safe deposit box.

"You can't do that," said the echidna girl.

"I just did," said Knuckles. He ripped another box off the wall, put the money in his pocket, and placed the gems in his box. He was intended on repeating this process until he had enough for his daughter's safe return.

"Somebody help me!" screamed the echidna girl. She ran over to a corner and pressed the alarm button. The alarm sounded all throughout the bank Both customers and employees ran out of the bank. Knuckles, however, ignored the alarm and continued doing what he was doing. After a while, his pockets were filled, and the safe deposit box couldn't hold another gem. Knuckles decided to make a break for it, but he found two G.U.N. agents blocking the exit.

"Hey, look! It's Knuckles," said the other agent. "Do you think he caught the perpetrator?"

Spencer looked at Knuckles, who remained motionless. He noticed the box in his hands and put two and two together.

"He _is_ the perp, Johnson" said Spencer.

"Knuckles, why are you stealing from safe deposit boxes? Did you get bored of watching your Master Emerald?" asked Johnson.

"Let's just say that there's a very good reason. Now, move out of my way," said Knuckles very deeply. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but he needed the money.

"Well, we can't let you leave here with that. Now, drop the box and come with us," said Spencer.

Knuckles laughed. "Try and stop me."

They both came right for Knuckles. Knuckles threw one punch and knocked them both back. When they were recovering, they saw Knuckles walking past them.

"He's strong," said Johnson.

"I noticed, but this is no time to reflect. Hit him with the taser," said Spencer. Johnson took a long, hard look at Spencer. "Do it!" Johnson slowly raised the taser and aimed it at Knuckles.

Knuckles was nearly at the front door when he received a paralyzing shock to the body. Knuckles stopped in his tracks and dropped the box. His body started twitching uncontrollably as megavolts went through his body. Knuckles could feel his body weakening as things started to go black. Just a split second before Knuckles blacked out, a card sharp flew through the air and cut the taser wire. Knuckles fell to his knees and panted hard.

"Hey, what the-" That was all Spencer could say before a boot collided with his skull, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Johnson stood on his feet….. for about a split second. He did, however, get a glimpse of his attacker before he was rendered unconscious after being kicked in the chin. It was Rouge. She had glided down in the nick of time.

Rouge rushed to Knuckles' side and helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll live. Right now, we got to get out of here," said Knuckles. He picked his box back up. Then, he and Rouge ran out to the parking lot and got into the foreign sports car. Knuckles collapsed in the passenger's seat as Rouge drove off after tossing her phone out the window.

_Later that day…_

Knuckles awoke on his stomach with his shirt off. His back was aching like crazy. That taser really hurt. He looked around and saw that he was on a beach that was in the middle of nowhere. The car was parked under a tree, but there was no sign of Rouge. Suddenly, Knuckles felt a sting hit him in the spot where the taser had struck.

"Agggggggggggh!" Knuckles yelled very loudly as a wet cloth touched his back.

"Well, look who's up," said Rouge with glee.

"Rouge, what did you put on that towel?" asked Knuckles as he slowly turned over and sat up.

"Nothing. Just a little hydrogen peroxide," said Rouge with a smirk.

"That stuff felt worse than the taser," said Knuckles.

"Well, if I hadn't done anything, the place where the taser pierced your body would've gotten infected," said Rouge.

"Next time, just let me die," said Knuckles.

Rouge joined Knuckles on the rock. He still had his shirt off and she sat close. If she sat any closer, she'd be in his lap.

"How much did I get?" Knuckles asked.

"Not enough," replied Rouge. "While you were out, I counted it all up. We're only about a quarter of the way finished, and we only have three days left. It's impossible to complete now."

"I'm not giving up on my little girl. It's time to get serious," said Knuckles.

"What do you have in mind now?" asked Rouge.

"It's one final job. It's a real bank robbery, not like this heist bullshit that we've been doing. We're going to hit the national bank in Central City the morning of the day that we have to meet Magic," said Knuckles.

"Are you crazy?" asked Rouge.

"Possibly, but it's all or nothing now. We're both fugitives of the law without any contact to any friends. Other than Silver, no one would understand anyway," said Knuckles.

"Still, how can the two of us take a national bank?" Rouge asked, still perplexed by the plan. She really thought that Knuckles had lost it.

"Who says that we're going to be alone?" asked Knuckles.

"Okay, now you've lost me," said Rouge.

"I'm going to ask some old friends, or rather some old rivals, to help us and offer the gems that I lifted from the safe deposit boxes as a bribe. They're probably the only ones I know that will understand what we have to do," said Knuckles.

"Who are they?" asked Rouge.

"I'll tell you on the way tomorrow. We're headed for the Sand Ruins," he said.

* * *

_Who are they, indeed? I believe that most of you already know who I'm referring to. I mean, it is so obvious. They'll be in the next two chapters. There are five left. The next one might not have a lot of action, but it will be essential to the plot. After that, the final chapters will have you on the edge of your seat. I can promise that. Don't get on the edge of your seat now. I have to write the chapters first. Oh, and after that, I already have my next idea planned._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	10. Seeking Help

_

* * *

_

Well, enjoy Chapter 10. Only five more chapters now.

* * *

The Sand Ruins were hot this time of year. As the duo drove down the dusty roads of the Sand Ruins, Knuckles was busy rubbing his back. He still hadn't fully recovered from where the taser had touched him. That spot was extremely sore even with Rouge's treatment. The taser had pierced his flesh and possibly overloaded some nerves. They needed time to heal.

"I wish that you would tell me where we're going so I'll know what to look for," said Rouge.

"We're looking for a floating island," said Knuckles.

"I thought that your island was the only one that floated," said Rouge.

"So did I until the Grand Prix tournament that Sonic, Tails, and I competed in. We faced a group of thieves known as the Babylon Rogues," said Knuckles. He started explaining the story behind how they met the Babylon Rogues and how great they were with extreme gear. He also told her about Babylon Gardens, where they were headed.

Rouge and Knuckles came to a halt at a big canyon. It looked like it had been recently made.

"This is where Babylon Gardens rose from the ground. Our best bet now is to go up. You're going to have to fly us up there," said Knuckles.

Rouge sighed. "The things I do for jewelry."

Rouge flew up into the air. She circled around and then swooped up Knuckles by his arms. She flew straight up very slowly since Knuckles was heavy to her. The ascent started out slow, but it quickly picked up as Rouge caught an updraft.

"How high is this place?" asked Rouge after ten minutes.

"We should be very close," said Knuckles. They were indeed close because after Knuckles finished his sentence, they entered a cloud and Babylon Gardens was floating only meters away from them now. Rouge sped up. She needed to land before she ended up dropping Knuckles. She landed on the Sky Road raceway and dropped Knuckles, who landed on his head.

"Oww!" said Knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Knuckie. I thought your hardheadedness would soften your impact," said Rouge with a smile.

Knuckles sighed. "I'll get you back for that later, but now let's find the airheads."

They walked down the Sky Road for exactly twenty minutes. It took way longer to get to places in Babylon Gardens without extreme gear. The wind was blowing hard this high up. Knuckles' dreads were going everywhere. They had to fight against the force for a while until they finally reached the citadel in the middle of the sky road.

"Shall I knock?" asked Rouge.

Inside the citadel, Jet was sleeping in the throne room. He considered himself to be the king of Babylon Gardens now since the place was deserted. He, Wave, and Storm had been living here since the defeat of the Babylon Guardian. They had really remodeled the place, giving it a very futuristic look. Wave just had the run of the place. High-tech equipment, including a security system, was everywhere.

Storm burst into the room, startling Jet. Jet awoke with surprise and fell off the throne.

"Hey, Boss, we've got intruders," said Storm.

"What? That's impossible. No one knows about this place except for…" Jet's suspicions pointed to Sonic. "It appears that the blue hedgehog wants a rematch. Well, this time, I'll win for sure."

"Actually, it's the red guy," said Storm.

"What could he want?" asked Jet.

"I don't know, Boss," said Storm, scratching his head.

"Well, we might as well see. Tell Wave and Galeon to meet us at the door," said Jet.

Back outside, Knuckles and Rouge had been knocking for a minute. They were growing impatient.

"As big as this place is, you'd think they'd have a doorbell," said Rouge.

Suddenly, the doors swung open. A figure was walking towards them. As he got walked gracefully into the light, Knuckles and Rouge were able to identify him. He was a blue-jay with samurai-style attire (something like the Strider from Capcom). The duo looked and saw two swords properly placed on his back.

"Who's that?" asked Rouge.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't remember him. Let's see if he knows where Jet is," said Knuckles. Knuckles approached the blue-jay slowly, being wary of his movements. Being a warrior himself, Knuckles knew to never let your guard down.

"State your business here," said the blue-jay.

"We're here to see the Babylon Rogues to talk business," said Knuckles.

"What kind of business?" asked the blue-jay. His voice wasn't very heavy, which suggested that he wasn't neither too experienced nor aged. He wasn't even fully grown yet.

"That is not business of yours. Please let me pass, kid," said Knuckles.

The blue-jay quickly drew one of his katana swords and pointed it at Knuckles. "Any business of theirs is business of mine for I am who you speak of."

"Galeon, hold up!" said a voice from the shadows. The voice sounded like Sonic's would if he had a bad cold. It had to be Jet, and it was. Jet, Wave, and Storm appeared simultaneously as they all walked out to where Knuckles and Rouge were.

"So, I see that the red mutt has met our new recruit, Galeon," said Wave.

"My name is Knuckles," said Knuckles.

"I'm sorry, dog," said Wave with a snicker.

Rouge, who was paying attention to every word, came to his defense. She didn't like for strangers to pick on Knuckles. That was her job.

"Knuckles, I know that you're not going to take this from an actual chicken, are you?" asked Rouge.

"I..am..not...a..CHICKEN!" said Wave. Her expression was pure rage.

"Could've fooled me," said Rouge.

"You want a piece of me, girlfriend?"

"I thought that you'd never ask."

Rouge and Wave were just about to go at it, but Storm and Knuckles held them back.

"Ladies, calm down," said Jet. He turned to Knuckles. "Now, why are you here, Knuckles?" asked Jet.

"I need help," said Knuckles.

"Do we look like a psychiatric ward?" asked Wave.

"Wave, chill out," ordered Jet. "What do you need our help for?"

"The two of us are going to rob the First National Bank of Central City, and we need backup. That's more than a two-man job. We have no chance of making it out by ourselves. Will you assist us?" asked Knuckles.

"What's in it for us?" asked Jet.

"We only need 750,000. The bank has millions stashed away. You can keep the rest that we do not need," said Knuckles. Knuckles took the box of jewels that he got from the safe deposit box and tossed it at Jet's feet. "Take this as a symbol of my gratitude."

Jet picked it up and opened the box. The glow of priceless gems sparkled in his face as he smiled. The others looked inside and smiled as well.

"Your offer is tempting, Knuckles; however, my answer is no. We have no interest in money, and this little box of gems is easily one night's work," said Jet. He turned to walk back inside after throwing the box of gems back at Knuckles.

"Name your price," said Knuckles.

Jet stopped in his tracks. He turned around. "I thought that you were one of the good guys. Why do you want to rob a national bank?"

"I'm doing it for my daughter. Let's just say that it's a matter of life and death," said Knuckles.

Galeon looked at Knuckles and saw that he told no tale. The wholehearted look in his eye suggested to Galeon that Knuckles spoke the truth.

"I'll help you, Knuckles," said Galeon. "Your gestures speak the truth and your actions are worthy of praise. That is a true sign of a warrior. It is my obligation to help a fellow warrior in need. Bushido commands it. I will assist you on your quest." He walked over to Knuckles. "I'd like to start over. I'm Galeon the Blue Jay, and I apologize for pulling a sword on you. I was just protecting my home."

"Apology accepted."

They shook hands.

"If Galeon feels that strongly about it, count us in too," said Jet from afar.

"What? But Boss…"

"Shut your beak and support our fellow rogue," said Jet. He turned to Knuckles and Rouge. "Please come inside." Jet and the others walked in with Knuckles and Rouge close behind.

"Well, maybe they're more than just airheads after all," said Rouge.

* * *

Once inside the citadel, they planned the whole robbery. Wave would act as the getaway driver while the rest penetrate the bank. First off, Galeon would cut the power to the alarms. Once there, he would be a lookout. Then, the rest would enter through the front door, disabling the security guards and taking over the bank. Storm would watch the hostages and keep them under control while Jet, Knuckles, and Rouge sought out and collected the cash. Jet would crack any safes that needed to be cracked. After the money was found and collected, they would make a hasty escape. The plan was foolproof.

"Okay. Now, that everyone knows what they're doing, let's get some equipment together. Wave, what do you have for us?" asked Jet.

"You're lucky that we do this enough to have the efficient equipment for robbing a place," said Wave. She revealed her inventory of devices and tools that could crack Fort Knox if needed.

"I don't see any weapons here. Remember, this is an armed robbery. We're going to need some weapons," said Knuckles.

"No problem. Storm, Galeon, and I will take care of that tonight," said Jet. "You three can just get everything else ready," said Jet. "Babylon Rogues, let's go."

Jet, Storm, and Galeon left the citadel and eventually Babylon Gardens.

"Why do we have to stay behind with her?" Rouge asked Knuckles.

"Just deal with it. It's only for one day. Then, we can get my daughter and our nightmare is over," said Knuckles.

"No it's not. Have you forgotten that we're federal fugitives now? We can't go back to our lives," said Rouge.

"Like I said, I'll think of something," said Knuckles.

"Are you two just going to stand there or are you going to help me here?" asked Wave.

"I hope I don't end up having to choke her," said Rouge.

Knuckles chuckled. "We're on our way, Wave."

Later that night, Knuckles lay in one of the guest bedrooms that the Babylon Rogues offered he sleep in. He couldn't sleep. He just kept tossing and turning in his bed. Thoughts of tomorrow swarmed in his head. What he was doing tomorrow was one of the riskiest things that he would ever do. He kept contemplating what would happen if he was captured. His daughter would be a goner for sure. He, too, would probably never see the sun again. Magic and his former friends would still out there in the world, causing havoc to people everywhere. Life would have done the ultimate unfairness at that point.

Knuckles' thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He got up from his bed and opened the door. It was no other than Rouge.

"Hi, Knuckles. Can I come in?" she asked.

"It's late. You should be resting for tomorrow. It might be our last," said Knuckles.

"Tomorrow is not going to be my last day as long as I got you there to protect me," said Rouge with a wink.

Her humor didn't seem to faze him. He neither blushed nor smiled.

"What's the matter?" she asked with concern.

"Nothing, I guess. I just got to thinking about Lara-Su. I hope she hasn't been harmed," said Knuckles.

"I fear for the life of the man that harms your daughter," said Rouge.

"If Magic touches one hair on her head, I'll kill him," said Knuckles.

"I'm sure that she's just fine," said Rouge.

"Thanks, Rouge," said Knuckles. Knuckles went over to his bag and pulled out his Master Emerald. "Here, I want you to have this now. It's for helping me when the stakes were high. I feel that I owe you this at least for ruining your life."

"You didn't ruin my life. Believe it or not, you helped me. You've shown me how to care about someone other than myself," said Rouge.

"Well, my daughter appreciates your concern," said Knuckles.

"I was talking about you," she said.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. He was caught off guard by that sentence. She cares for him? Since when?

"Oh, and you can keep your emerald. I decided that I don't want it after all. There are more important treasures out there in the world than the Master Emerald. You keep it. It means more to you than to me," said Rouge.

"Thanks, Rouge, for everything," said Knuckles.

Rouge smiled. "You're welcome, handsome. I'll see you in the morning. I'm terrible when I don't get my beauty sleep," said Rouge.

Knuckles smiled and walked her to the door.

"Good night." She turned and gave Knuckles a kiss.

"Rouge, I…" He was stopped when Rouge placed her finger on his lips.

"I know," she said.

With that, Rouge returned to her room. Knuckles went and laid down on his bed. Thanks to Rouge's kind words and soft lips, he was asleep within minutes of touching his bed.

_

* * *

__In the words of Silver, that took too long. It couldn't be helped. Remember, I am in the institute of higher learning. That and a social life have greatly interfered with my fanfiction duties. I rarely have time to get on my laptop and type these chapters. I just want to apologize to everyone who has been eagerly awaiting my updates. I won't let my readers down._

_P.S. For more information on Galeon, visit my page. He's one of my OC Babylon Rogues. I have seven more. If you are interested in using them in stories of your own, ask for my consent._

_I'M GLAD THAT SILVER NOW HAS HIS OWN STORY FILTER. FANFICTION HAS FINALLY STOPPED SCREWING UP_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	11. Set It Off

_Now, this chapter is where things start to get serious. It's the fourth to last chapter. Enjoy. The climax is here._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any Sonic characters but Galeon._

* * *

_Central City…_

It's 7:00 o'clock in the morning. Most people are just waking up. The sun has just begun to rise. It is a peaceful morning without a dark cloud in the sky. The only thing visible was the flow of traffic of many employees on their way to work. The streets of Central City are quiet as usual but not for long.

Wave drove the getaway vehicle, a large, white SUV. It was the one with the three rows of seats. Jet sat in the front with Wave, Knuckles and Rouge occupied the second row, and Storm and Galeon were at the back. Galeon and Storm were preparing the arms and tools for use. Knuckles and Rouge made sure that the duffle bags they were going to use were strong enough to hold the money. Jet was at the front just talking to Wave. Jet and Galeon wore Bluetooth headsets, which was the way they would stay in contact with each other. They were all wearing blue robbery jumpsuits, which were similar to the orange jumpsuits that convicts wear. How fitting!

Wave parked the SUV across the street from the bank. There were only a few cars out that really weren't paying attention to them. Still, they took shelter in an alley. Wave went to park the SUV in a park where she could watch the bank and react with swiftness. Knuckles, Rouge, Storm, Jet, and Galeon were all still in the alley.

"Okay, Galeon. You know what to do," said Knuckles.

"Right!" Galeon replied. Galeon crossed the street alone. Then, he went behind the bank, where he pulled out a grappling hook. He threw the hook up to the roof and pulled himself up. Once on the roof, he swiftly looked around for the power box that controlled the flow of power to the entire system. He found it conveniently located on the north side of the bank. He opened the box and used some wire cutters to cut the wires in the order that Wave had told him to. The computers, alarms, and security cameras all went offline. Once he was done, he waved at the others, which signaled that it was time to move.

They all ran across the street. Each one was wearing a clear mask that made the face unidentifiable and wielding a small weapon. Knuckles had a SMG, Rouge had two .45 pistols, Storm had a shotgun, and Jet carried a chrome revolver. They opened the door and ran inside. Rouge pulled out a can of mace and sprayed a security guard in the eyes. The security guard screamed as tears ran from his eyes. Knuckles delivered a devastating blow to the guard's head, which knocked him out cold. Another security guard heard the scream and ran over to where the scream came from. He rounded the corner that led to the exit and collided with Knuckles' SMG. Knuckles slapped the second guard upside his head with the SMG. The resulting impact knocked the guard out. After both guards were down for the count, Jet and Storm tied them up and placed them in a corner.

After they were taken care of, Knuckles led the crew into the main corridor of the bank. He let off a few warning shots in the air, which were accompanied by screams and panic.

"Alright, nobody move! Everybody get down on the floor! This is a bank robbery!" yelled Knuckles.

The people frightfully obliged. They shakily got onto the floor and put both hands on their heads. Storm came over and began to watch the people.

Rouge jumped onto one of the countertops and pointed her pistols at a clerk. The clerk began to cry.

"Please. I have a family," she said.

"Well, shut the hell up and give us the money so that you have no problems," scolded Rouge.

All the clerks opened their respective drawers and got onto the floor. Rouge jumped behind the counter and started collecting the money. Knuckles went over to where the money cart was located. He pulled the door off the cart and looked inside at a glorious sight. Inside the cart was over 300 thousand dollars in unmarked bills. Knuckles opened up a duffle bag and started cramming as much money as he could into the bag.

"Everybody, stay down," said Storm. Unbeknownst to Storm, there was a cop among the hostages. He slowly reached into his holster and armed himself with his pistol. Storm was still overlooking the cop laying there. Then, Storm turned to look at Jet, who was over by the vault trying to crack it. The cop raised the gun at Storm. Then, he heard a click. He looked out the corner of his eye and saw Rouge holding him at gunpoint. The clicking noise was Rouge cocking her gun. The cop cursed to himself and laid the gun on the marble floor. He was caught. Rouge picked it up and walked over to Storm.

"Are you watching these people or what? You were almost a dead duck," said Rouge, showing him the confiscated weapon.

"Gee, thanks for saving my bacon, batgirl," said Storm.

Rouge scoffed. It was actually kind of irritating to be called batgirl. Knuckles was the only one that had ever been to get away with calling her that. "Just watch your back."

Jet picked up a guy in a blue suit that was crouched behind the manager's desk. Obviously, he was the manager.

"Give us the key code for the vault," demanded Jet.

"Okay, but there's a time lock on that safe," said the manager.

"Hell, I can get us past the time lock. All we need is your key code," said Jet.

"Hey, Jet, I don't know how, but several federal vehicles are pulling up outside the bank. The logo says G.U.N. They know that we're here. Take what you need and let's go now," said Galeon over the headset.

"Damn, we've been compromised," said Jet. He pointed the revolver at the manager. "Give us the code now!"

"Damn the code," said Knuckles. He walked over to the vault and grabbed the handle. He began to pull and pull until he actually tore the metal vault off the wall with his bare hands.

"That works too," said Jet. He got on his headset again. "Galeon, get to Wave. Tell her that she's going to have to find a new place to pick us up."

"I'm on my way," Galeon replied. He used his knowledge of stealth to get down from the roof and sneak around to Wave without being seen. Wave opened the door to let him in.

"I saw the federal vehicles pull up. Now, what do I do?" asked Wave.

Galeon shrugged. "You'll have to think of something. We're not leaving them here."

Back at the bank, Jet, Knuckles, and Rouge were collecting some dividends. This vault was the jackpot. There was money on money on money on money on money on top of more money. After about two minutes of collecting, they knew that they had enough. Jet still continued collecting loot for personal gain.

"Yes. Now, I can get my daughter back," said Knuckles.

"Freeze!"

Knuckles and Rouge turned around and saw four G.U.N. agents standing behind them with weapons aimed right at them. Knuckles and Rouge both turned around and pointed their weapons right back at them.

"Knuckles, Rouge, this doesn't have to be this way," said a male agent, probably an officer.

"Yes, it does," said Knuckles, snatching off his mask.

"Knuckles, I don't know why you started robbing banks, but I can help you. All you have to do is drop the gun and surrender," said the agent.

"If I surrender, my plight will turn into a tragedy," said Knuckles.

"G.U.N. will take care of you, Knuckles. All you need to do is drop your weapons," said the officer.

"Not a chance," said Knuckles.

The agent looked at Knuckles, who just stared at him with the same content expression that he had on his face since he saw the agents behind him. Then, he turned to Rouge.

"Rouge?" he asked.

Rouge didn't say a word or move. She merely stayed aiming at her former co-workers.

"Very well. G.U.N. agents, you have my order to apprehend wanted suspects, Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat. Suspects are armed and dangerous. Be careful. They appear to have friends," said the G.U.N. officer.

Knuckles, Rouge, Storm, and Jet all prepared for a showdown with G.U.N. Suddenly, a car burst through the building. It was coming directly into the spot where they were about to have the showdown. All the G.U.N. agents scattered, trying not to get splattered. The quartet of bank robbers also moved back. Then, they all got a look at the vehicle. It was a white SUV, and Wave was driving it.

"Need a lift?" she asked with a wink and a thumb's up. Galeon was sitting in the back.

All of a sudden, gunshots could be heard. G.U.N. had taken an offensive. They all took cover behind the truck as bullets flew across the air. The SUV was taking a beating.

"Hurry up!" yelled Wave.

Knuckles peeped his head around the front side of the SUV and returned fire. All four of them took cover. Rouge and Jet were quickly loading up their duffle bags into the SUV. Then, they both hopped in.

"Come on, Knuckles and Storm!" yelled Rouge.

One guy leaned around the corner with a police carbine rifle. Before he could fire, Storm let off a shot. The shell hit the guy in the leg, taking the whole leg off. The man grunted in pain as his leg flew across the room.

"Storm, that's enough. Let's go," said Jet.

"Right away, Boss," said Storm. He hopped into the back with Galeon.

Knuckles was the last one to get in. Once he touched the seat, Wave threw the car in reverse and started moving. She headed back out through the entrance she had made. She was met by G.U.N. agents that were trying to turn the SUV into cheese. Wave drove in reverse through the G.U.N. barricade and continued backing down the sidewalk. Knuckles leaned out the window and returned fire with his SMG. He got lucky as one of his bullets hit a G.U.N. vehicle's gas tank, which caused an explosion. G.U.N. was temporarily immobilized. Wave did a 180 degree spin to turn forward into the street and oncoming traffic. After she faced front, she put the SUV in drive. More G.U.N. vehicles and even some Central City squad cars continued to pursue them. Jet and Rouge leaned out their respective windows and shot back at them while Storm used the back window. Galeon didn't have a gun; so he wasn't able to help. He simply kept his head down. Meanwhile, Wave was trying her best to shake them off. She swerved through traffic like it was her job, but there were many cars behind them and they were quickly closing in. Wave looked up ahead and saw spikes in the road. She was trapped. She couldn't turn back, and there were no alley ways around here. Wave did her only option at the moment. She drove up onto the sidewalk.

POP!!

That was the sound heard as the spikes collided with their back left tire. Wave, refusing to quit continued to drive on three wheels.

"This is not going to work. We have to escape them all at once," said Rouge.

"Any ideas?" asked Galeon.

"We have our extreme gear back here; so all we need is a place where cars can't be used, but extreme gear can," said Jet.

"I think I know a place," said Wave. She drove on three wheels for another two blocks.

"I'm out of ammo," said Knuckles

"That was my last shell," said Storm.

"Well, don't fret. We're here," said Wave. "Everyone buckle up. This could get tricky." Wave did another 180 degree turn and backed her way onto the sidewalk. People got out of the way as Wave ran through an outside diner. She even managed to hit a hotdog cart. Luckily, the vendor jumped out of the way. She saw the subway station up ahead and aimed for it. She backed the SUV down the stairs to the subway until it got stuck.

"Everyone, get out through the back window," said Wave.

Everyone obliged and grabbed their things. Within thirty seconds, they were all out.

"What kind of plan is this? We're stuck down here," said Storm.

"But they can't get in either because the SUV is blocking the entrance," said Galeon.

"I have to admit that that was a nice move, bird lady," said Rouge.

"Thanks, batgirl," said Wave.

Then, the Babylon Rogues all pulled out their extreme gear and took off down the subway path.

"See you around," said Jet.

"The later, the better," added Wave.

Knuckles and Rouge took off the other way, being wary of the third rail. They carried a total of three heavy duffle bags, one held all the money they had acquired before they came to Central City. Jet took the other one as their cut. Knuckles carried two, and Rouge carried the other one.

A subway seemed to be coming. They decided to use it to hitch a ride out of the tunnels and away from G.U.N. Knuckles climbed to the ceiling, and Rouge flew up there. When the subway was under them, they jumped on top of it, where they remained. They both sat on the edge of the subway train. It sped through Central City with the quickness. After about three stops, they decided to jump off. When they surfaced, they were on the outskirts of Central City, miles away from where they faced G.U.N.

"So what now?" asked Rouge.

"Now, we call Magic," said Knuckles.

* * *

Word had gotten back to the commander that Knuckles and Rouge had escaped.

"Damn it," said the commander. "How could they get away? They had help? You had a small army!! Tell all agents to spread out and cover all exits from the city. They don't leave this city."

Shadow was standing in the room with his eyes closed as the commander walked by him.

"We've got them this time, Shadow. I'm counting on you to bring them in," said the commander.

"I'll do the right thing," said Shadow.

* * *

_What an action packed chapter right? Well, that's that chapter. Only three more now. Please R & R as the conclusion to the story is made. What will happen? Only I know the answer to that. No spoilers. That'll ruin the story._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	12. Allies and Enemies

_After a very long break, it's finally time to finish up this story. I really appreciate all the fellow writers that helped me advertise this story. This one is for you._

* * *

After the narrow escape from the bank, Knuckles and Rouge found themselves stealthily making their way around the outskirts of Central City. Fortunately, Knuckles had Rouge along with him; therefore, they could easily stay stealth and evade G.U.N. Rouge led the way around Central City outskirts. Soon, they came upon a pay phone, and Knuckles needed to make a call. As they eased down to the phone from the alley in which they now occupied, they looked in all directions to make sure that the streets were clear of anything suspicious. After reassuring themselves, Knuckles entered the booth and sat his duffle bags on the ground. He put his quarter in and dialed the number that Magic had reached him at earlier. After about ten seconds, someone picked up.

"Hello?" said the voice.

"I got your damn money, Magic," said Knuckles in a harsh tone.

"See, I knew you could do it, homie. I'll be waiting at the pier," said Magic.

"Let me speak to my daughter!" Knuckles demanded.

(click)

Knuckles just held the phone for a second. He was hoping that his daughter was alright and couldn't wait to have her back in his arms. If Magic had hurt, her…. He wouldn't even think those kinds of thoughts.

Knuckles exited the booth.

"Well?" Rouge asked.

"Now, I go see Magic," said Knuckles.

"Ok. Let me make a call right quick," said Rouge.

Rouge entered the booth as Knuckles had done earlier. She placed her quarter in the phone and dialed the numbers.

"Hello," said a gruff voice.

"Sugar Ray, it's Rouge. How's the club holding up?" she asked.

"Boss lady, I don't know how to tell you this, but you've been shut down. After you were seen on the news with that echidna robbing people, G.U.N. came in and closed us down. What has that rotten echidna gotten you into?" asked Sugar Ray. He still held a grudge with Knuckles.

"It's a lot more complicated than you think. I suggest that you find new work. I might not be able to come back anytime soon," said Rouge.

"Take care," said Sugar Ray.

"I'll miss you," said Rouge.

(click)

"Well, Handsome, thanks to you, my club has been shut down," said Rouge.

"I'm sorry," said Knuckles.

"Don't be. It was starting to get a little boring anyway," said Rouge with a smile. "Our little adventure was way more fun than some dumb old club."

"Well, once I get Lara-Su, I'll find some way of paying you back," said Knuckles.

"What do you mean 'you'? We're in this together now," said Rouge.

"Rouge, you don't understand. This time is a definite 'No'. Magic's dangerous," said Knuckles.

"He's too dangerous for you to handle alone," said Rouge.

"I'll manage," said Knuckles. He picked up the duffle bags. "I'm begging you. Please don't follow me. If something happens to me, I want you to remember me by this."

Knuckles used a free hand to pull Rouge closer to him for a kiss. She kissed back with a little tongue action as well. They parted after five seconds. Rouge's eyes turned red as she watched Knuckles go off into the distant.

"You will be okay, Knuckles. I'll make sure of it."

About an hour later, Knuckles reached the warehouse at the end of the pier that Magic had told him to come to. Except for a few workers at the docks, the pier was completely deserted. Most of the workers had gone home for the day.

There was a side door at the warehouse that was open. His old friend, King, was standing there.

"Where's Magic?" asked Knuckles.

King said nothing. He barely pointed his finger in the direction of the open door. Knuckles walked through the door. King came in and closed the door behind him, which made Knuckles hesitate for a moment before continuing his walk. King just stood at the door as Knuckles advanced into the center of the warehouse. As he walked, he saw that this warehouse had been made into a drug lab. There were pieces of equipment all over the place that are used to process heroin. The gold Chrysler was parked in a corner as well. He stopped and looked around for somebody but found no one.

"Is this some kind of joke, King? Where's Magic?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm right here," said Magic. Magic walked out slowly from a dark corner and stood about thirty yards away from Knuckles. Big Blue was at his side. "Long time no see, homie."

"Where's my daughter?" asked Knuckles.

Magic stepped to the side and revealed a young, light red echidna. She didn't look too well.

"Lara-Su!!" yelled Knuckles.

"Daddy!"

Lara-Su began to run over to Knuckles, but Magic caught her by the arm.

"Toss the money over here first," said Magic.

Knuckles gathered all three bags into one hand and tossed them simultaneously at Magic. His super strength allowed him to throw all three heavy bags at once. After the bags reached Magic's feet, he let Lara-Su go. Lara-Su ran as fast as she could across the floor. She basically threw herself into Knuckles' arms when she reached him. A small tear formed in the corner of Knuckles' eye as he hugged his little angel. She was a bit cold and emaciated, but at least she was okay.

"I always knew that you'd come for me," said Lara-Su.

"I'll always come when you need me," said Knuckles. He gave his daughter a tight squeeze. Then, he stood up and looked at Magic.

"Are we quite done here?" asked Knuckles.

"Not quite," said Magic.

"Ack!" Knuckles screamed as he fell forward.

Lara-Su screamed as her father hit the ground.

Stream had come out of nowhere and smashed an iron chair on Knuckles' back. It was a double-cross.

"I thought we had a deal, Magic," said Knuckles.

"I'm almost shocked that you didn't see this coming, but you always were a little slow in the head," said Magic.

"Lara-Su, go wait outside," said Knuckles.

"I'm not leaving you, Dad," said Lara-Su.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be out to take you home shortly," said Knuckles.

"How touching!" said Magic. "You don't want your daughter to see your blood splatter.

Knuckles got up off the ground. He pulled out one of his guns, but King came from behind and tackled him, which made him throw the gun away.

"Knuckles is packing? I have to admit that that surprised me," said Magic. "Get him, boys."

Stream was back now to help King fight Knuckles. Stream threw a punch, which Knuckles easily blocked and countered with a punch to the face. The punch threw Stream for a loop. He was very weak compared to Knuckles. While Knuckles was fighting Stream, King came from behind and struck Knuckles in the back with a crowbar that happened to be lying around. Knuckles fell again, but he wasn't done yet. He quickly rolled onto his stomach and saw that King was about to strike again. He caught the crowbar this time and kicked King right in the chin, causing blood to spew from his mouth. Knuckles jumped up from the ground and went on the offensive. He tackled King to the ground and started punching. He kept pounding away until King was rendered unconscious.

Stream found a chain on the ground. He ran over and slapped Knuckles across the back of the head with the chain. The chain hurt like hell. Knuckles had to hold the spot where he was hit for a second. He felt the spot, and it was bleeding.

"You're weak," said Stream.

He started spinning the chain over his head to prepare for another strike on an immobilized Knuckles.

"Going up!"

Stream started to go into the air.

"What the-?" Stream asked. He had no idea why he was flying until he looked up. Rouge the Bat was carrying him through the air by his chain. He was too far in the air to just let go of the chain. "Let go of me, bitch!"

Rouge frowned up at what she had just heard. She could take an insult, but being called a bitch was downright degrading. After a moment of anger, she branded a devilish s smirk.

.

"Come on, baby. I'm not a bitch unless you make me one, but since you say I am, I might as well be one," said Rouge.

She flew up to the top of the warehouse and let the chain go. Stream fell from the top of the warehouse down into a pile of cardboard boxes that were in placed in a corner. He was knocked unconscious upon impact.

"Baby, you got some nice moves," said Magic.

"It's too bad that you'll never get to see any of them," said Rouge. She flew to the ground and faced Magic. Big Blue was about to grab Rouge, but Magic held him arm out.

"What are you doing with a traitor like Knuckles?" asked Magic.

"I'm not interested in a thug like you, Magic," said Rouge.

"A thug like me? Did Knuckles fail to mention that he used to be a thug just like me? You should've seen your Knuckles back in the day," said Magic.

"He told me everything, and I think no less of him," said Rouge.

Knuckles was getting off the ground as Rouge talked to Magic.

"Big Blue!" yelled Magic.

Big Blue raced over to where Knuckles was. Big Blue was huge. Most physical attacks wouldn't hurt him. For now, Knuckles was simply dodging Big Blue's attacks.

"Knuckles!" yelled Rouge.

Magic grabbed Rouge by the hand.

"You're not going anywhere," said Magic.

"Get real," said Rouge. She raised her leg and kicked Magic in the stomach. Rouge's powerful kick put Magic on his knees. He spat out blood as he smiled.

"You've got spunk. I'm going to enjoy you," said Magic. "Now, come with me."

"Are you hard of hearing? I said no," said Rouge.

Magic pulled out a .9 mm from his pants. "This says otherwise."

Meanwhile, Knuckles was still dodging Big Blue. Big Blue was growing annoyed with Knuckles. He let out many annoyed grunts and panted as he threw them. Knuckles noticed this. He had found the way to beat Big Blue.

Big Blue's next punch came sloppy and slow. Knuckles grabbed Big Blue's hand and tossed him onto the ground. It took a lot to throw Big Blue. As Big Blue was getting up, Knuckles jumped on his back and wrapped his arm around Big Blue's neck. He started strangling Big Blue, who was already halfway depleted of oxygen. He swung around trying to get Knuckles off his back, but Knuckles wouldn't let go. Soon, Big Blue was back on the ground gasping for breath. After a minute, the struggling stopped altogether. Knuckles had done it. He defeated Big Blue, who worked him over earlier. Now, there was just Magic.

Knuckles looked over and saw that Lara-Su was still there. She was really too young to be seeing all this.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Daddy, you beat the big man who gave me oatmeal. You're the best," said Lara-Su.

Knuckles smiled. Her humor was the highlight of his day.

"Stay here," said Knuckles.

Lara-Su nodded in understanding.

Knuckles turned around and saw Magic holding Rouge hostage. Knuckles was about to reach for his pistol, but he thought the reach would endanger Rouge even more. For now, he would let Magic think that he was defenseless.

"Let her go, Magic," demanded Knuckles.

"You wish," said Magic.

Magic fired a shot. Knuckles jumped out of the way. He dived behind a pillar, which was located about three feet to his left.

"Give it up, Knuckles. You have no place to go," Magic boasted.

"I gave you your money. Getting your money cost me and Rouge our freedom. You've ruined our lives. What else could you want?" asked Knuckles.

"It's your fault that I got caught back at the bank six years ago. If you had been with me, I never would've gotten caught," said Magic.

Knuckles poked his head out. Magic fired another shot. That shot hit the pillar, barely missing Knuckles' head.

"We've been through this before. Stop bringing up the past," said Knuckles.

Knuckles ran to another pillar that was about six feet closer to Magic. Magic fired two more bullets. This time the bullet grazed Knuckles' dreads. Knuckles heart almost dropped. He thought that he actually got hit.

Rouge began to try to squirm free. Magic immediately redirected the gun onto her head.

"Stop moving, bitch!" demanded Magic.

"Magic, stop this before someone gets hurt," said Knuckles.

"Someone will die here. It's going to be you or me," said Magic.

"So be it. You kidnapped my daughter and now you're holding the best friend I have at gunpoint," said Knuckles.

"I'm the best friend you have?" said Rouge in amazement.

"Rouge, I don't know anyone else who would've done the things that you've done for me," said Knuckles.

"It was nothing. Really. Someone had to watch your back," said Rouge.

"I don't want to hear this mushy shit. Listen, Knuckles, I'm tired of playing with you. Either you come out or I'll kill her," said Magic.

Knuckles was still behind the pillar. He knew that he couldn't stay hidden any longer.

"Okay. I'm coming out," said Knuckles.

He did just that. He slowly eased out into the open. Magic was still holding Rouge. He eased closer and closer to Rouge and Magic. Magic fired a shot at Knuckles' feet. From the corner, Lara-Su shrieked in fear for her Dad.

"That's far enough. Any last words?" asked Magic.

"I'll miss you, Rouge," said Knuckles.

Rouge just looked at Knuckles as her eyes grew big and teary. Magic raised his gun at Knuckles' head.

"Farewell, Knuckles the Echidna," said Magic.

"No!" yelled Rouge.

She grabbed the gun as Knuckles pulled the trigger, which caused the bullet from the gun to go by his head. It missed by a centimeter. Knuckles quickly pulled out his piece. Rouge and Magic were still fighting over the gun. After a quick struggle, Magic emerged victorious. He tossed Rouge aside and turned around only to be met with a bullet in the forehead as Knuckles pulled the trigger just as he turned around. Blood splashed from his forehead as he fell to the ground in front of Knuckles.

"We were two close friends that grew up in this world together. We rose from children to men as one. It's a shame that it had to end this way," said Knuckles.

Knuckles walked past the bleeding body of his former friend over to Rouge.

"Are you okay?" asked Knuckles.

He held out his hand, which Rouge gladly took.

"I'm fine now," said Rouge with a smile.

Knuckles looked down and saw Lara-Su hugging his leg.

"How's Daddy's Little Girl?" asked Knuckles.

Lara-Su giggled. "I'm fine now that you're here with me."

Knuckles knelt beside his daughter.

"Lara, I know that you've just seen me do some things that you have never seen me do before. I just want you to know that I only did those things because you were in danger. Daddy only did those things because he loves you and didn't want anything to happen to you," Knuckles explained.

Lara-Su didn't look like she fully understood. After all, she just had a traumatic experience. She just saw her father kill someone. Kids should not be exposed to that sort of thing, but Knuckles had no other choice.

"You'll understand someday," said Knuckles.

He turned to Rouge.

"Lara-Su, I'd like you to meet someone special. She helped me to rescue you," said Knuckles.

Rouge held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Lara-Su," said Rouge.

Lara-Su grabbed onto Knuckles.

"Don't be afraid," said Knuckles.

Lara-Su buried her face into Knuckles' leg.

"She'll come around," Knuckles reassured. "Right now, we need to figure out what we're going to do. Obviously, we can't go back to our homes."

"We've got to start over somewhere else away from G.U.N.," said Rouge.

Knuckles looked over at the money.

"Well, at least we have some mon-"

An attack of chaos spears came through and assaulted Knuckles in the back. Knuckles was pushed forward and fell on his face.

"Dad!" yelled Lara-Su.

The attack hit the place where the taser had struck him earlier. Add that to the fact that Knuckles had just beaten down three guys and you can see that Knuckles was beat. He was starting to see two of everything. After Knuckles got up, he staggered a bit. He saw two ebony hedgehogs looking right at him. It was Shadow.

"Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat, you are under arrest for armed robbery, resisting arrest, and assaulting G.U.N. agents," said Shadow. He looked over and saw the bleeding body. "I guess we can add murder to that rap sheet now."

"Shadow, I have no time to play right now," said Knuckles.

"I'm not playing games with you, Knuckles. Surrender now," said Shadow.

Shadow ran over to Knuckles and used his shoulder to knock Knuckles back onto the ground.

"Shadow, stop this," said Rouge.

Shadow wouldn't listen. He had a job to do. Knuckles did not have anything left to fight with. He was just too tired. This time, he just rose to his feet.

"Shadow, I did not come this far to be stopped now!" Knuckles yelled.

He mustered up his remaining strength and charged Shadow. Shadow patiently waited on the attack. Knuckles threw a punch. Shadow ducked it and gave Knuckles a hard blow to the stomach. At that moment, everything around them slowed to a halt. Then, Knuckles fell to his knees.

"I've failed," he said in such a weak voice that it was barely audible.

"G.U.N. will be here soon to collect you," said Shadow. "Huh?"

Shadow looked down at his legs and saw a small little echidna pounding his legs with tears in her eyes.

"Leave my daddy alone!" screamed Lara-Su.

"Who is this little girl?" asked Shadow.

"Her name is Lara-Su. She's Knuckles' daughter. She was kidnapped by gangsters and held for ransom, which is the reason why Knuckles and I were robbing places. We needed some ransom money," said Rouge.

"I… I…," Shadow started.

"Knuckles' love for his daughter is similar to your love for Maria. Remember how you were willing to pay any price for Maria's happiness? Knuckles was willing to give up everything he had, including his freedom, to save his daughter," Rouge explained.

"Even if that is true, I have a job to do. Nothing is going to stop that," said Shadow.

"Shadow, how can you put a job before doing what's right?" asked Rouge.

"Isn't my job the right thing to do?" asked Shadow. He was really confused at the moment.

"Well, yes, but the right thing goes beyond that. It goes to doing what your heart knows is right," said Rouge.

Shadow looked down at Lara-Su. In her big, purple eyes, he saw the same innocence and kind-heartedness that he once saw in Maria's eyes. He remembered how happy he felt every time he saw her and realized that Knuckles felt the same happiness every time he saw his daughter. Shadow looked away from Rouge.

"G.U.N. is on their way. You better get out of here," said Shadow.

"Thank you, Shadow, and goodbye. As you know, we can't stay here," said Rouge.

"I know. Perhaps I can persuade G.U.N. to stop their search. Until then, goodbye my friend," said Shadow.

Shadow used his chaos control power to instantly disappear.

* * *

_This chapter should've been up, but I had finals and partial writer's block. Now, I have a whole month off. I'll be finishing this story in that time. Only two more chapters now._

_P.S. I've also posted some new story ideas on my page. If you would, look them over and give me some idea of what you would like my next story to be._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	13. City Escape

_LOL! The title says it all. Once you have read the chapter, you'll see what I mean._

* * *

When Knuckles finally came to, he was in the passenger seat of a car that he wasn't too familiar with. The seats were made of black leather and from what Knuckles could tell, the car was sitting high. There was also some wood grain in the dashboard and doors. Knuckles knew what car he was in. This was the black and gold Chrysler. He felt his stomach turn upon this realization. He sat up and looked across to see Rouge behind the wheel.

"Did you enjoy your nap, babe?" asked Rouge.

Knuckles just groaned. His body ached all over from his tussles with Shadow and his old crew. "Where's Lara-Su?"

"Right here," said the high-pitched voice that Knuckles loved to hear. His daughter stuck her head between the two front seats with a big smile on her face.

Just seeing his baby girl brought a smile to Knuckles' face. He soon forgot all about his aches and pains.

"I loaded up the money and your emerald. We should have enough to start a new life somewhere far away from G.U.N.," said Rouge. "I might even be able to have a new club built."

"There's only one question remaining. Where are we going to?" asked Knuckles.

"The closest place that's not within the perimeters of G.U.N. is Soleanna. They have their own government there under the rule of Princess Elise and Lord Regis," said Rouge.

Knuckles just stared out the window into the night. He really didn't want to leave his home, but he had no choice. G.U.N. knew all about where he lived, who he knew, and what he was capable of. There was no way that it would ever be safe here ever again. Besides, he had the Master Emerald still with him; so he would still be able to perform his sacred duty. He just couldn't do it in his ancestral home.

"I guess that's where we're going then," said Knuckles.

As they drove around Central City, they noticed several G.U.N. vehicles scattered on almost every street. It seemed that G.U.N. was pretty determined not to let them leave the city.

"They're everywhere," said Knuckles.

"Well, at least the windows are tinted," said Rouge.

Lara-Su was sitting on the back seat with her legs crossed. She started to squeal lightly, which was loud enough for Knuckles to hear.

"Baby, is something the matter?" he asked Lara-Su.

"I have to pee," she said.

"We really do not need to be stopping now. Can't you hold it until we get away from the city?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I don't believe I can."

Knuckles hesitated the response but finally answered.

"Rouge, can you pull up at the next convenience store? Lara-Su needs to go to the restroom," said Knuckles.

"What? You do realize the consequences if we're spotted, right?" Rouge asked.

"Don't worry. I'm going to make sure that you get out of here safely. You have my solemn vow," said Knuckles.

Rouge looked over at him. She already knew that Knuckles was not one to go back on his word. She was also seeing the way that Knuckles cares for his child. Never before had she seen such kindness expressed from the echidna. He fully understands her needs and does anything to satisfy them. Rouge pondered on these realizations as she pulled into Love's. All three of them entered the store together.

"Rouge, could I ask you a favor? Could you take her into the restroom for me?" asked Knuckles.

"Uh, sure," said Rouge.

"Thanks. Lara-Su, go with Rouge to the restroom," said Knuckles.

"Why?" asked Lara-Su rather rudely.

"I'm not allowed to go into the little girl's room," said Knuckles in an innocent tone that you really wouldn't think he could speak in.

Lara-Su looked at Rouge. She didn't really know Rouge; so it was understandable that she would not mistrust Rouge. After all, her previous experience does not encourage the trust of strangers.

"Well, okay," said Lara-Su unsurely.

"Don't worry, kid. You're safe in my hands," said Rouge with a wink. She escorted Lara-Su to the ladies' restroom. Once inside, Lara-Su went into a stall while Rouge patiently waited on the outside.

"So, you're Knuckles' little pride and joy, eh? You're pretty darn cute," said Rouge.

"Thanks," said Lara-Su,

"I have to admit one thing, though. Your daddy needs to learn how to dress you. No offense, but your clothes are definitely last season. You just leave it to me. I'll have you looking glamorous before you know it," said Rouge.

"Do you like my daddy?" asked Lara-Su.

Rouge blushed. The question kinda startled her. She did not expect to hear a question like that.

"I think so. Why do you ask?"

"I see the way that you look at him. I thought that you did," she said.

"Is it okay with you?" asked Rouge.

"I guess. As long as you make him happy, you're okay in my book," said Lara-Su. She flushed the toilet and exited the stall. "All done!"

Rouge couldn't help but smile. Her cuteness was just too much. Rouge leaned down and straightened her clothes on her and even removed a cotton swab that was stuck in one of her dreads. After she was finished and washed her hands, the two girls exited the restroom. Knuckles was standing at the door with a brown paper bag in his hand.

"Are you all better now?" he asked Lara-Su when she approached him.

She nodded with a smile.

"Okay. Let's get back on the road," said Knuckles. "By the way, I thought that you might be hungry; so I got you a honey bun and a grape icee."

"Thanks, Dad."

Rouge just watched and smiled at them. They exited the store in haste, eager to get back on their trail before it could be discovered, but they were too late. Sitting in the corner of the parking lot and eating on jelly doughnuts were two of Central City's finest.

"Hey, isn't that Knuckles the Echidna?" asked one of the officers.

"It sure does look like him. Didn't he rob the national bank this morning?" asked the other one.

"Yep. He escaped a hot pursuit chase through the city," said the first one.

"Well, he won't escape us. Radio headquarters and get us some backup. He won't get away from us."

* * *

Knuckles, Rouge, and Lara-Su took off down the highway. The night lights shined so bright that night almost turned to day. Lara-Su was busy eating her honey bun and sipping on her icee. The two teenagers up front were still pondering upon how to get out of Central City. They can't wait out the search. Rouge's experience with G.U.N. let her know that their searches could go on for weeks and even months at a time. Their best bet is to make it to Soleanna.

As they traveled down the highway, they began to notice flashing lights. Knuckles looked back and saw that there was a police car trailing them.

"Oh shit," said Knuckles.

"Hey, watch your language around your daughter," Rouge chastised.

The police car pulled up next to Rouge in the following lane.

"_Driver, pull your vehicle to the shoulder, now,"_ instructed the police as the sirens started to wail.

Knuckles became very agitated at the moment. There was no way that they could stop.

"Punch it!" ordered Knuckles.

Rouge stomped the gas pedal and hastily sped away from the police car. As Rouge weaved through traffic, Knuckles leaned onto the backseat of the car and strapped Lara-Su into her safety belt. Rouge kept straight, going at full speed. After a few minutes, a couple more police cars joined in on the chase.

"_Attention! The suspects were seen heading south. Suspects have been positively identified as world renowned hero, Knuckles the Echidna, and ex-government agent, Rouge the Bat. Block all major roads and capture the suspects."_

Rouge had the gas pedal pressed to the floor. Despite all the modifications that Magic had made to the car, it still was not fast enough to outrun the local police. It wouldn't be long before G.U.N. was after them as well.

"You can't keep going the same way. You have to do something unexpected," said Knuckles.

"Like what?" asked Rouge.

"Like this!"

Knuckles grabbed the steering wheel and gave it a hard turn to the left. The car's tires started to tread as Rouge hit the brakes. Knuckles sudden seizure of the wheel shocked her.

"Are you crazy? That could've killed us," said Rouge.

"Just drive. Sometimes crazy works," said Knuckles.

Rouge knew she didn't have time to argue. She punched the gas pedal and took off in the opposite direction. She sped through the flow of police cars trailing them. It caused them to slightly spin out and even bump into each other, but they were far from done. They quickly recovered and continued their pursuit of the black Chrysler.

Rouge made a quick right turn onto a one way street; however, she was going the wrong way. She steadily and skillfully weaved through the oncoming traffic, which caused a traffic jam that halted the flow and caused the police cars to be held up.

"I think that we're losing them, but they won't be lost for long," said Rouge.

Knuckles hated to admit it, but she was right. They needed a quick plan to get past all the cops and G.U.N. officers or else they might as well give up and save themselves the trouble. As they tried to think of a plan, they came upon a city parking garage.

"Turn here," said Knuckles.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just do it," Knuckles said in a calm voice.

Rouge quietly obeyed. She turned into the garage and went around until Knuckles told her to stop. Knuckles then got out of the car and walked over to a green Honda Civic Sedan. He cleverly used his sharp Knuckles to pick the lock to the door. Then, he reached under the steering wheel and exposed a few wires. He started to work with them.

"What are you doing now?" asked Rouge.

"I'm hotwiring this car. It's a little trick that I learned when I used to run with Magic," he said.

"Why are you doing it?" asked Rouge.

"We've got to split up. I want you to take Lara-Su, the money, and my emerald, and head north. I'm going to head south in the Chrysler and draw them away from you. Hopefully, I can get enough of G.U.N. to come after me to allow you to get away undetected. I'll meet up with you in Soleanna," said Knuckles.

"No, we're in this together," said Rouge.

Knuckles ignored her rejection. He continued wiring until the car started. Then, he raced back over to the Chrysler.

"Lara-Su, get in the front seat," said Knuckles.

Lara-Su obeyed and got into the Honda.

"You're not leaving us," said Rouge.

"There's no time for argument. You know what'll happen if we get caught. There's no telling how long we both will be locked up. To make matters worse, my daughter will be in the system. I can't allow that," said Knuckles. Knuckles then walked over to the front seat of the Honda, where Lara-Su was sitting. "Lara-Su, listen to me. I'm about to go somewhere, okay, but I'm coming back for you. I need you to take care of Rouge for me."

Lara-Su shook her head.

"No!"

"Lara-Su, trust me on this," said Knuckles.

"Do you promise to come back for me?" asked Lara-Su.

"I'll always come back for you," said Knuckles.

Lara-Su gave Knuckles a huge hug.

"I love you, Dad," said Lara-Su.

"I love you, too. Put your safety belt on," said Knuckles.

Knuckles then returned to Rouge. He could tell that she was worried about him from the look in her eyes. He walked over to her and handed her a cell phone.

"Here, take this. It was lying in the Chrysler. I think it belongs to Magic or Big Blue. Anyway, I'm going to call you from the car phone about ten minutes after I leave. If you don't answer, I'm coming back for you," said Knuckles.

"You don't have to do this," said Rouge. She was near tears as she spoke.

Knuckles lifted her chin and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Just take care of my daughter. I'll see you soon," said Knuckles with a smile.

"With all my heart," she replied.

He brought her in for a hug. She pressed against his hard body, never wanting to let go but knew that she eventually had to. She could only hope that she and Knuckles would be reunited again soon. With his daughter in her care, she knew that after all that time of not trusting her, he'd finally seen the light. She never would've guessed when this quest started that she and one of her greatest rivals would become as close as Adam and Eve. Rouge did indeed feel like she was a part of Knuckles: the rib of Knuckles, always at his side. After they parted, they shared another quick kiss before Knuckles dashed back to the Chrysler.

"Get out of here. Go!" he ordered.

He jumped into the driver's seat of the Chrysler and drove back out into the open. Rouge watched until he was out of sight. The police cars quickly spotted Knuckles and continued their pursuit. All of the police cars had been replaced by G.U.N. vehicles. There was even a helicopter in the sky now shining a light onto the Chrysler. Knuckles shifted into third gear and sped down the road. As G.U.N. chased Knuckles, Rouge took her car and headed in the opposite direction.

The hot pursuit chase was becoming intense as tactical maneuvers were put into play. They tried several attempts to run Knuckles off the road, but they all failed.

"_Driver, this is your last warning. Stop your car!" said one of the agents from the car loudspeaker._

Knuckles kept going. He wasn't about to stop now. Knuckles swerved through traffic as best he could. Living on Angel Island did have his disadvantages. It was hard for Knuckles to steer the car well because his lack of experience in driving one, but he knew his way around a car like an expert.

Knuckles was constantly looking back. It seemed like the numbers were increasing. It didn't matter, they weren't about to catch him. He was constantly going on and off the road. He continued this for about another few miles. He remembered his promise to Rouge and picked up the car phone. He dialed and waited on an answer. It took a few seconds before Rouge answered.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Rouge. Knuckles could hear her voice breaking.

"I'm fine. Are you and Lara-Su clear?" asked Knuckles.

"Yes. There's not an agent in sight," said Rouge. Talking to Knuckles made her feel a little bit better.

"They're still on my ass, but I'm going to lose them in a minute. Hold on," said Knuckles.

A roadblock of huge ramming trucks was set up in front of him. Knuckles managed to swerve through it. The side of the car managed to bump one of the G.U.N. vehicles, but that was the only damage. Knuckles battled to get his footing back in the road.

"So what do you think it'll be like in Soleanna?" asked Knuckles.

Rouge smiled, even though she was crying at the moment. "It's going to be beautiful."

The road became more bumpy as Knuckles found himself going off-road in the factory district. Knuckles swerved around a container sitting in his path. The agent that was tailing Knuckles the closest managed to hit the container. The container exploded upon contact and sent the agent's car flying. Rouge could hear the sound effects through the phone.

"Knuckles, are you still there?" she asked.

"Put Lara-Su on the phone," he said.

Rouge handed the phone to Lara-Su.

"It's your father," she said.

Lara-Su took the phone from Rouge.

"Hey, Dad," she said.

"Hey, baby girl. What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just looking at the ships in the water that I can see from here. They're very pretty," said Lara-Su.

Knuckles' car was bouncing up and down as he rode through the factory district, still being chased by police. Sparks flew off the car and into the air. He passed by workers on bulldozers, steamrollers, and forklifts.

"Dad, can I have another toy horse?" asked Lara-Su.

"Sure. Do you want the same kind as before?" asked Knuckles.

"No, I want one with stripes. What are those called?" she asked.

"Zebras," he replied.

"Yeah, I want a zebra," said Lara-Su.

"Okay. No problem," said Knuckles.

"Thanks, Dad," she said and handed the phone back to Rouge.

"I love you," said Knuckles. He had no idea that Lara-Su had passed the phone back to Rouge.

Rouge smiled as the tears continued rolling down her face.

"I love you, too," she replied.

Knuckles was surprised to hear Rouge's voice. He was about to tell Rouge that that was meant for Lara-Su, but he decided against it. He did, in fact, love her. It just took him a long time to realize it.

The sirens continued wailing in the distance. So far, Knuckles was able to keep ahead of G.U.N., but that all came to an end. Knuckles made a right down onto the next turn and came to a screeching halt. There was no more land ahead of him. Knuckles had run upon a loading dock. There was only water ahead of him. He was about to turn around, but the G.U.N. cars quickly closed the gap and boxed him in. He was trapped.

"Knuckles?" Rouge said.

There was a long pause between their last words. Knuckles wouldn't dare tell them of the predicament that he was in.

"I gotta go," said Knuckles.

He hung up the phone. The G.U.N. agents all readied their weapons and stepped from their vehicles. The helicopter still whirred above Knuckles' head. Soon, Knuckles just tuned everything around him out. The whole world became inaudible to him as he entered his subconscious mind. Inside, he knew that he had failed. There was nowhere else left to run. The thought of his failure just ate away at him like a parasite. He felt sick to his stomach. A tear met his eye as he thought about Lara-Su and Rouge. He would probably never again see his daughter or Rouge. They were going to take him away for who know how long. He started thinking about how he broke his promise to Lara-Su. He said that he'd come back for her.

"_Dad!" _

Knuckles could hear Lara-Su calling for him in the back of his mind. He knew that now was not the time to give up. He had to find a way to get to his daughter. There was just no way that he could go on knowing that he failed to keep his promise. He had to try something, no matter what the cost might be. Even if it cost him his life, he was not going to stop here. He was going to make it back to his daughter or die trying.

Knuckles shifted the car back into gear. He shifted the gear so hard that the handle broke off. It didn't matter. He pressed the gas pedal as hard as he could. The car accelerated all the way down the dock and over the edge into the water. The car quickly began to sink as the G.U.N. agents rushed over to the edge of the dock with their weapons ready in case Knuckles resurfaced, but nothing happened. As the car sunk, they eagerly awaited for someone to resurface. The helicopter shined the light all over the water but found nothing. There was no trace of survivors anywhere.

* * *

_Might I remind you that Knuckles was not wearing his air necklace. I'm saying that because I don't want you trying to find plot holes in this chapter. LOL! Well, Rouge and Lara-Su got away, but at what __**price**__? You'll just have to wait for my final chapter, which will be coming soon. I expect to hear from all of you in a review._

_MERRY CHRISTMAS  
HAPPY HANUKKAH  
HAPPY KWANZAA_

_And a Happy New Year _

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	14. Better Days

_Well, it's been a long road to get to this point, but I'm finally here. This is the last chapter of this epic. Please enjoy. By the way, I will not be held responsible for any display of emotions shown after reading this chapter. LOL! Ok, let's begin. I know you're all itching to find out what happened to Rouge and Knuckles' daughter. Well, I'll tell you._

* * *

_Some time later…_

It was early one morning in Soleanna. The sun had just risen from its long slumber throughout the night. It was quiet as kept. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the ocean and the call of the seagulls. On this fine morning, a few civilians could be seen on the beach going for a morning jog, but most people were just starting their day. In one quaint beach house, two new residents could be seen doing just that.

Rouge was clearing the table after breakfast. She took both of their plates over to the sink and began to wash them out. She had made hotcakes this morning; so the plates were extra sticky. She had to be sure to clean them out thoroughly. So far, Rouge's new life had not been so bad. She still had the million dollars that she and Knuckles had acquired on their crime spree, which she used to purchase the beach house that she currently occupied. It was a three bedroom, two bath, two-story house with a living room, kitchen, a den, and an extra room right in the middle of the house. The extra room had been converted into a shrine for the Master Emerald. If Knuckles was there, he probably would've wanted it that way. Luckily, Lara-Su had been able to return the Master Emerald to its original size because her father had taught her how.

"Lara, you're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up," Rouge called out to Lara-Su.

"I'm coming," she replied from her room.

Her room had been outfitted with several toys and various niceties that she and Rouge had picked up in the New City. It was definitely more spruced up than her old room on Angel Island. Rouge had been trying to make her happy especially after all that's happened. She grabbed her 'Dora the Explorer' backpack and came down the stairs.

"Hey!" Rouge greeted.

"Hey," Lara-Su replied with a smile. She was wearing a little pink dress, which really matched her complexion. It was a lot like the dress that Cream used to wear. Her dreads had also been fixed differently on her head, courtesy of Rouge. They were now arranged in short, curly twists. Rouge came over and fixed her clothes so that they fitted correctly.

"And what was taking you so long to come down?" she asked.

"I was just cleaning my room in case Dad comes while we're gone," said Lara-Su.

Rouge couldn't look at Lara-Su and act like nothing was wrong. She knew that she had to tell her the truth. It was only fair.

"Lara…" she started. She looked up at Lara-Su, who was innocently staring back at her. It was not easy to just come out and say it. "Dad's not coming."

"I know, but it makes me feel better if I think he might," said Lara-Su.

It pained her to accept the fact that Knuckles was really gone. She tried and tried to call his number back, but no one could be reached. She could not do anything but assume the worst. In the week that they had spent together, Knuckles had become a part of her. It was hard trying to imagine life without him; yet somehow, she had to live it without him. Somehow. She started to shed a tear in front of Lara-Su, but she quickly changed subjects before she could succumb to them.

"Got your lunchbox?" she asked with a smile.

"Yup."

"Okay, let's go."

Rouge took Lara-Su by the hand and led her down the steps of their new home. In order to get to Lara-Su's new school, they had to cross the beach.

"So how's school?" asked Rouge.

"It's okay," Lara-Su replied.

"I heard that you have a boyfriend," said Rouge.

"Who told you that?" asked Lara-Su.

"I can't tell you that," said Rouge.

"He's just helping me with my Spanish," said Lara-Su.

A few sailboats could be seen sailing in the distance. They walked for a few more minutes and gazed off into the ocean.

"What can you say?" asked Rouge.

"I don't know."

Rouge looked around.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the sea.

"El mar," said Lara-Su.

"Very good. What's that?" This time, she pointed at the sailboats.

"Un velero," said Lara-Su.

"And that?" She pointed at a group of people sitting on the beach. There were two adult hedgehogs and two little girl hedgehogs.

"Una familia," said Lara-Su.

"That's correct. How about that?" Rouge asked. This time, she pointed at a stray dog on the beach. It looked like it had been in the water.

Lara-Su looked in the direction of the dog, but she wasn't really concerned with the dog. She paused in her footsteps when she saw a figure in the distance that was slowly coming into view from behind the dog. Because they lived near the beach, it was a bit foggy as well. From what she could tell, it was a person with a torn wife beater. It was obviously a male. One of his arms was in a sling that appeared to be made out of another shirt. In his free hand, there was an object. It was a toy horse. The horse and white with stripes. A big look of amazement crossed Lara-Su's face.

"Padre!" she screamed.

She dropped her backpack and lunchbox and took off running towards the figure.

"Lara!" Rouge called after her.

Lara-Su did not stop. She continued running towards the figure. Rouge scatted after her. After a couple yards, Rouge looked into the distance as well. When she looked, she covered her mouth and gasped. Were their eyes deceiving them? No, fate would not be so cruel. This had to be real. It was Knuckles. He was completely drenched because he had just gotten out of the sea. That didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was here. Rouge began running after towards Knuckles as well with tears in her eyes. She did not dare hold them back. She let them flow freely.

Knuckles saw them running towards him and started to run towards them as well. Lara-Su had reached him first. He put the toy horse into his injured hand and lifted her up into the air with his free hand. He spun around in circles with her in his arm.

"I told you that I'd always come back for you," said Knuckles.

Knuckles kissed her on the forehead and placed her back on the ground. Once he had done that, Rouge had reached him. She jumped into his arms and loving embrace. She began to cry into his chest. These were not tears of joy, however. They were tears of joy. She felt like she was whole once more. Her other half had been restored. She embraced him so hard that her wing had started moving his injured arm, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment. All that seemed to matter to the trio was that they were finally together and at peace.

* * *

_Not a bad ending, I'd say. Now is the time for your final reviews on this story. Please, make them good._

_  
By the way, I've put up a new poll to see what my readers would like my next story to be about. The ideas and the poll itself is on my page. Please vote. My next story will reflect your vote; so please be truthful._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


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